or  THE 

Theological   Seminary; 

PRINCETOlSr.    N   J 

BV  1534  .M57  1845 
Old  Humphrey,  1787-1854. 
Ephraim  Holding's  homely 
hints 


EPHRAIM  HOLDING'S 


HOMELY  HINTS 


CaiEFLT  ADDRESSED  TO 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TEACHERS 


BY  OLD  HUMPHREY, 

AUTHOR  OP  "old  Humphrey's  observations;"  "addresses  ;" 
"thoughts  for  the  thoughtful."  and 

"walks   in  LONDON." 


NEW  YORK : 

ROBERT  CARTER,  58  CANAL  STREET, 

PITTSBURG,  58  MARKET  STREET. 

1845. 


'J. 
CONTENTS 


7i     '% 


Page 

1.  How  are  you  going  about  it  1         ....  5 

2.  Do  you  Learn  while  you  Teach  1        .        .        .  15 

3.  Are  your  Scholars  glad  to  see  you  1        ...  26 

4.  Can  you  bear  Reproof 'J 37 

5.  Do  you  Study  the  Habits  of  Yovmg  People  1         .  46 
S.  Do  you  look  Backwards  and  Forwards  1     .        .  54 

7.  Are  you  Prayerful,  Hopeful,  and  Trustful  1    .        .65 

8.  Are  you  Patient  and  Persevering  1      .        .        .  75 

9.  Do  you  abhor  Deceit  1 86 

10.  Do  you  turn  Passing  Occurrences  to  Advantage  ?  96 

!1.  What  is  your  Stock  of  Information'?      .        .        .  106 

12.  Are  you  fond  of  ChUdren  1         .        .        .        .  118 

13.  Can  you  make  Sacrifices'? 129 

J  4.  Do  you  know  that  Knowledge  is  not  Wisdom  1  .  138 

15.  What  you  Gain  do  you  Retain  1     .        .        .         .  148 

16.  A  Sprig  of  Holly  for  a  Sunday  School  Teacher.  158 

Homely  Hints  to  the  Aged 169 

"         Mothers 176 

"            "         Fathers 183 

"            "         Sons 189 

"            "         Daughters 194 

"            "         Younger  Children.         .        .  202 
"            "         Servants.    .        .        .        .        .208 

On  Disappointed  Hopes 215 

On  the  Vicissitudes  of  Life 221 

On  the  New-made  Grave 227 


psiiTc:a. 


EPHRAIM  HOLDING'S 


HOMELY    HINTS 


I. 

HOW  ARE  YOU  GOING  ABOUT  XT'? 

And  have  I  lived  in  the  world  till  my  hairs  are 
grey,  without  picking  up  a  thought  that  may  be 
useful  to  a  Sunday  school  teacher  ?  Surely  not. 
Have  I  nothing  to  say  that  will  lighten  his  spirit, 
encourage  his  heart,  strengthen  his  hand,  quicken 
his  foot,  or  increase  his  zeal  in  the  enterprize  he 
has  undertaken  ?  Oh,  yes,  I  hope  so  !  If  a  small 
seed  will  produce  a  large  tree,  a  single  feather  turn 
a  scale,  and  a  mere  spark  kindle  a  conflagration, 
why  should  I  fear  that  an  old  man's  words  coming 
warm  from  his  heart,  will  be  altogether  worthless  ? 

Putting  it  down  as  an  axiom,  as  I  do,  that  no 

well-meant  endeavor  to  be  useful,   prudently  and 

zealously  persevered  in,  is  ever  made  altogether  in 

vain,  I  feel  a  confidence  which  is  as  a  cordial  to  me. 

1* 


6  HOW   ARE   YOU    GOING   ABOUT   IT? 

Think  not,  because  time  has  sprinkled  a  little  snow 
on  my  head,  that  I  am  weak-minded  and  peevish  ; 
but  rather  give  me  credit  for  energy  and  good  tem- 
per, as  well  as  for  sincerity  and  uprightness  of  in- 
tention. Kindly  feelings,  one  towards  another,  are 
of  great  value  ;  try  then  to  think  as  favorably  of 
me  as  I  think  of  you  : — 

Though  his  hair  may  be  scattered  and  grey, 

And  the  strength  of  his  manhood  depart ; 
Though  the  shadows  of  thought  o'er  his  temples  may  stray. 
Yet  affection,  and  zeal,  as  he  wends  on  his  way, 

May  be  strong  in  an  old  man's  heart. 

Experience,  among  many  other  things,  has  told 
and  taught  me  this,  that  in  pursuance  of  the  most 
laudable  objects,  the  mind  stands  in  need  of  an  oc- 
casional stimulus  ;  the  affections  of  the  heart  require 
to  be  excited  and  called  forth.  A  striking  example, 
a  well-timed  reproof,  a  word  of  encouragement  and 
christian  counsel,  often  impart  to  us  an  increased 
zeal,  a  doubled  diligence,  and  a  new  principle  of 
action. 

If  experience  has  told  me  this,  most  likely  it  has 
taught  you  something  of  the  same  kind,  young  as 
some  of  you  are  in  comparison  of  the  years  I  have 
numbered.  There  have  been  times,  perhaps,  when 
going  to  and  attending  your  classes,  you  have  felt 
heavy,  uninterested,  out  of  spirits,  disappointed,  and 
ready  to  say,  "  What  is  the  use  of  my  being  a  Sun- 
day school  teacher  ?"  Now  it  is  just  in  such  mo- 
ments as  these  that  I  want  to  step  in  with  my  humble 


HOW   ARE    YOU   GOING    ABOLT   IT?  7 

hints.  When  you  feel  strong ;  when  your  school 
prospers,  and  your  scholars  are  grateful ;  when  you 
are  listening  to  some  eloquent  speech,  or  reading 
some  talented  essay,  wherein  Sunday  school  teachers 
are  spoken  well  of;  when  the  sun  shines  on  your 
heads  and  in  your  hearts,  I  will  trust  you  for  going 
on  perseveringly,  and  very  cheerfully  leave  you  to 
yourselves  ;  but  in  the  dull,  dark,  dabbling  day,  and 
in  the  hour  of  disappointment  and  despondency,  as 
I  said  before,  willingly  would  I  become  your  com- 
panion, and,  in  a  kindly  spirit,  offer  a  few  of  my 
homely  observations. 

There  is,  I  believe,  a  general  impression  in  so- 
ciety, that  youth  and  age  cannot  pleasantly  keep 
each  other  company.  Now  this  appears  to  me  to 
be  a  reflection  on  them  both.  It  seems  to  say,  that 
young  people  in  their  buoyant  spirits  forget  what  is 
due  to  the  more  sober  and  quiet  habits  of  age,  and 
that  old  people  are  not  sufficiently  considerate  and 
forbearing  towards  their  more  youthful  friends.  It 
would  certainly  be  out  of  the  question  for  youth  to 
affect  the  gravity  of  age,  and  still  more  so  for  age  to 
adopt  the  light-hearted  buoyancy  of  youth  ;  yet  do 
I  feel  certain,  that  young  and  aged  people  may 
mingle  together  with  mutual  advantage.  You 
would  not,  I  trust,  desire  to  trespass  on  the  peaceful 
inclinations  of  those  who  are  in  years  ;  and  I  would 
not  willingly  be  a  peevish  old  man,  out  of  temper 
with  the  cheerful  habits  of  youth,  for  all  the  gold 
that  is  to  be  found  in  Mexico. 


8  HOW    ARE    YOU    GOING    ABOUT    IT? 

Sunday  school  teachers,  however,  are  not  dU 
young,  for  though  some  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  out 
of  their  boyhood,  others  are  much  farther  advanced 
in  years  and  knowledge,  in  judgment  and  christian 
graces.  I  hope  to  say  something  that  will  commend 
me  to  all,  by  a  cheerful,  kindly,  and  encouraging 
spirit ;  approving  with  readiness,  rebuking  w4th 
tenderness  and  regret,  ever  bearing  in  mind  my  own 
abundant  infirmities,  and  endeavoring  to  manifest 
that  charity  that  "  suffereth  long  and  is  kind,  that 
envieth  not,  vaunteth  not  itself,  is  not  pufled  up,  and 
doth  not  behave  itself  unseemly,  that  seeketh  not 
her  own,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no  evil, 
rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  but  in  the  truth,  beareth  all 
things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  and 
endureth  all  things." 

Every  lover  of  nature  must  be  struck  with  the 
abundant  variety  that  the  natural  creation  presents 
to  the  eye  and  the  heart.  Spring  gives  way  to  sum- 
mer, and  autumn  is  succeeded  by  winter.  But  not 
the  year  only,  the  day  and  the  hour  are  diversified 
by  grateful  changes.  The  sun  is  now  in  the  east, 
by  and  by  in  the  south,  and  afterwards  sinks  in  the 
west  The  w^inds  of  heaven  seldom  blow  long  to- 
gether from  the  same  quarter,  and  the  beautiful 
clouds  above  us  are  continually  forming  new  and 
delightful  combinations.  Hardly  shall  I  be  sus- 
pected of  an  affectation  of  wisdom,  in  noticing  things 
with  which  every  one  is  familiar. 

But  what  is  the  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the 


HOW   ARE   YOU    GOING   ABOUT   IT?  9 

variety  in  nature  ?  simply  this,  that  change  is  ne- 
cessary for  the  well  being  of  creation.  An  endur- 
ing spring,  a  continual  summer,  a  perpetual  autumn, 
and  a  never-ending  winter,  would  be  anything  but 
desirable.  Neither  the  vegetable  nor  the  animal 
world  could  endure  the  constant  glare  of  sunshine, 
or  thrive  beneath  continual  shade  :  the  wise,  the  ne- 
cessary, the  merciful  admixture  of  the  one  with  the 
other,  spreads  around  a  grateful  and  reviving  influ- 
ence :  the  trees  bud,  and  blossom,  and  bear  ;  the 
flowers  expand,  the  fruits  ripen ;  the  bee  and  the 
butterfly  roam  abroad ;  the  bird  warbles  in  the 
brake,  or  in  the  air  ;  man  goes  forth  to  his  labour, 
and  all  creation  holds  a  jubilee  of  joy. 

If  it  be  thus  in  the  natural  world,  there  is  some- 
thing very  like  it  in  the  intellectual,  the  moral,  and 
the  religious  world :  there  are  changes  which  aro 
necessary,  and  variety  imparts  fresh  vigour  to  the 
faculties  of  our  heads,  and  the  affections  of  our 
hearts.  Now,  I  want  the  homely  hints  of  Ephraim 
Holding,  mingling  with  the  observations  of  wiser 
and  better  men,  so  far  to  aflect  you  by  their  novelty, 
that  you  may  reap  from  them  the  advantage  of  a 
change.  With  this  view,  it  is  my  intention  to  lay 
before  you  such  remarks  as  may  appear  to  me 
likely  to  effect  my  purpose. 

As  Sunday  school  teachers,  you  are  of  different 
ages,  dispositions,  and  attainments  ;  but  you  are  all 
alike  in  this — that  you  have  taken  on  yourselves  to 
communicate  instruction  to  a  class  of  young  people 


10  HOW   ARE    YOU   GOING   ABOUT   IT? 

who,  but  for  your  kindly  aid,  might  have  remained 
in  comparative  ignorance.  Your  primary  object 
is  "  to  give  subtilty  to  the  simple  ;"  to  instruct  young 
people,  so  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  read  the 
word  of  God,  and  to  bring  them  up  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord.  Now  this  undertaking,  lowly  as  it  may 
be  e^eemed  by  some,  is  a  high  and  honorable  en- 
terprise, and  the  kindly  inquiry  that  I  would  now 
make  is,  How  are  you  going  about  it  ? 

There  are  bad  ways  of  doing  good  things,  and 
good  things  are  all  the  easier  performed  if  set  about 
in  a  proper  spirit  and  a  proper  manner,  therefore 
my  question  is  worth  a  little  attention.  Your  ob- 
ject is  good,  but  Hoio  are  you  going  about  it  T 
Are  you  asleep  or  awake  ?  Lukewarm  or  zealous? 
Creeping  and  crawling,  or  pressing  onwards  with 
energy  ?  In  a  word,  are  you  playing  at  Sunday 
school  teaching,  or  are  you  in  real  earnest  ? 

I  ask  not  your  age,  nor  what  may  be  your  at- 
tainments.  You  may,  for  years,  have  pursued  youi 
praiseworthy  course,  or  but  just  entered  on  youi 
work  of  usefulness.  These  things  at  the  present 
moment  weigh  nothing  with  me.  A  soldier  is  a 
soldier,  whether  in  the  ranks,  or  at  the  head  of  a 
regiment.  A  sailor  is  a  sailor,  whether  before  the 
mast,  or  carrying  a  "  red  flag  at  the  fore-."  Tha 
question  is  not,  what  rank  have  you  attained  ?  but 
in  your  station  and  position,  are  you  do'ng  youi 
duty  ?  Sabbath  after  sabbath,  by  your  attendance 
at  the  Sunday  schools,  you  profess  to  do  good  to 


HOW   ARE    YOU   GOING    ABOUT   IT?  11 

the  young  people  you  instruct,  and  to  help  them  on 
their  way  to  heaven  :  with  this  high,  this  hallowed 
object  before  you,  How  are  you  going  about  it  J 

In  looking  around  us  in  the  world  we  shall  find 
that  in  most  cases,  though  not  in  all,  success  has 
been  theirs,  who  have  been  the  most  determined  to 
attain  it.  No  man  ever  yet  ascended  the  Pyramids 
in  his  sleep,  or  gained  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc 
by  accident.  There  must  be  a  spirit  of  determina- 
tion in  every  enterprise  of  difficulty,  and  my  own 
opinion  is,  that  we  are  never  happier  than  when 
overcoming  impediments  in  a  good  cause.  When 
the  motive  is  equal  to  the  occasion,  there  is  a  high- 
wrought  pleasure  even  in  endurance.  If  in  becom- 
ing Sunday  school  teachers,  you  expected  to  walk 
smoothly  along  a  gravel  walk,  or  a  bowling  green  ; 
that  no  difficulties  would  occur,  and  that  week  after 
week  you  would  go  on  without  weariness,  diffi- 
culty, or  disappointment,  no  doubt  you  soon  discov- 
ered your  mistake  ;  but  how  is  it  with  you  now? 
With  the  advantage  of  your  past  experience,  whe- 
ther it  has  been  long  or  short,  are  you  as  desiious 
to* attain  your  object  as  you  once  were?  and  How 
are  you  going  about  it  1 

When  the  boy  runs  after  a  butterfly,  he  is  in  real 
earnest,  and  shows  as  much  determination  as 
though  his  prize  was  of  inestimable  value.  When 
the  sportsman  follows  the  game,  impediments  only 
increase  his  ardour,  and  render  him  more  eager  in 
his  pursuit ;  hedges  and  ditches,  slips  and  falls,  ac- 


12  HOW   ARE   YOU   GOING   ABOUT    IT? 

cidents  and  injuries,  are  of  little  consequence;  the 
butterfly  must  be  caught,  the  game  must  be  se- 
cured. The  man  and  the  boy  are  in  earnest ;  to 
attain  their  trifling  end  no  eflTort  is  withheld.  Now, 
if  your  object  is  greater,  ought  your  determination 
and  perseverance  to  be  less  than  theirs  ? 

How  are  your  classes  going  on?  Do  things 
look  fresh  and  green,  with  a  fair  promise  of  a  goodly 
harvest ;  or  is  the  blade  withered,  and  the  ground 
barren,  rude,  and  bare !  Have  you  done  your  part 
manfully,  prayerfully,  and  hopefully?  Has  the 
earth  been  well  broken  up,  or  have  you  spared  your- 
selves in  your  labour  ?  It  is  hard  to  get  a  good 
crop  from  easy  ploughing. 

"  With  a  straight  back  at  the  plough  tail. 
The  weeds  will  grow  and  the  crop  fail !" 

When  a  thing  is  undertaken  from  a  deep  convic- 
tion that  it  is  a  duty,  or  a  praise^worthy  object,  from 
that  lAoment  all  our  energies  of  body,  soul,  and 
spirit,  should  be  pressed  into  its  service.  In  a  case 
of  d  ;sappointment,  few  things  are  more  mortifying 
than  the  consciousness  that  we  have  brought  it  on 
ourselves  by  our  supineness  and  neglect,  and  few 
things  more  consolatory  than  the  knowledge  that 
we  have  industriously  done  our  best  to  secure  suc- 
cess. 

In  teaching  others,  we  have  much  to  learn  our- 
selves ;  for  a  proper  mode  will  effect  more  in  one 
hour,  than  an  improper  method  will  in  two.     It  is 


HOW    ARE    YOU    GOING    ABOUT    IT?  13 

the  same  in  serving  others  ;  for  a  want  of  judgment 
will  often  destroy  an  act  of  intended  kindness.  The 
bear  in  the  fable,  offers  us  a  striking  illustration  of 
this  fact.  He  Avished  to  kill  a  fly  that  annoyed  a 
sleeping  friend,  who  had  done  him  many  acts  of 
kindness.  The  intention  of  the  grateful  bear  w^as 
good,  but  he  went  about  it  in  an  improper  manner, 
for  in  killing  the  fly  with  his  paw,  he  demolished 
the  face  of  his  benefactor.  You  see,  then,  that  how- 
ever kind  and  good  your  object  may  be,  it  is  not  a 
useless  question  to  ask,  How  are  you  going  about  it  ? 

In  my  younger  days,  I  delighted  in  plans  of  ex- 
tended benevolence ;  but  the  worst  of  it  was,  that 
they  were  never  realized.  My  means  were  not 
commensurate  with  my  desires.  My  heart  was  too 
haughty,  my  eyes  too  lofty,  and  I  meddled  with 
things  too  high  for  me.  I  now  see  the  wisdom,  if 
not  of  undertaking  less,  at  least  of  doing  more.  In- 
dividually, we  shall  never  be  able  to  irrigate  the 
sandy  deserts  of  the  earth,  to  clear  away  its  bound- 
less forests,  to  evangelize  the  unnumbered  heathen, 
or  relieve  the  manifold  miseries  of  mankind,  and  it 
will  be  all  lost  time  to  attempt  it ;  but  we  may  on  a 
small  scale  encourage  christian  benevolence,  and 
render  ourselves  very  useful  to  those  around  us. 

As  plain  and  homely  food  is  best  for  the  body,  so, 
in  general,  are  plain  and  practical  objects  best  for 
the  mind.  Ephraim  Holding  has  seen  a  deal  of 
sky-scraping  in  his  time,  and  has  been  carried  away, 
perhaps,  as  often  as  his  neighbours,  with  the  glare 
2 


14  HOW   ARE   YOU   GOING   ABOUT   IT? 

and  glitter  of  imposing  spectacles;  but  when  his 
judgment  is  brought  into  healthy  exercise,  he  likes 
better  things,  which  have  less  pretence  and  more 
utility.  He  prefers  the  useful  draught-horse  drag- 
ging the  plough,  to  the  war  horse  in  gorgeous  trap- 
pings, crushing  out  the  life  of  the  fallen  foe  with  his 
iron  hoofs,  and  losing  his  own  on  the  pike  or  the 
bayonet.  He  likes  better,  the  evening  warbler  of 
the  woods,  and  the  lark  mingling  her  song  to  her 
Creator,  with  the  balmy  breath  of  morn,  than  the 
lonely  condor  of  the  Cordillera,  whose  flight  is  a 
"  voyage,"  and  the  soaring  eagle  of  the  Alps,  whose 
wild  scream  is  lost  amid  the  clouds  of  heaven. 

There  is  nothing  romantic,  extravagant,  or  be- 
yond the  faculties  that  the  Father  of  Mercies  has  be- 
stowed upon  you,  in  your  desire  of  teaching  young 
people  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  bringjing  them  up 
in  ihe  way  in  which  they  should  go,  with  the  hum- 
ble hope,  that  when  they  grow  old,  they  will  not  de- 
part from  it ;  and  if  the  question,  How  are  you  go- 
ing about  it  1  be  put  honestly  to  yourselves,  it  will 
lather  assist  than  retard  your  enterprise.  But  what 
you  do,  do  heartily.  While  you  are  a  Sunday 
school  teacher,  be  in  earnest ;  for  you  will  as  soon 
gather  grapes  of  thorns,  and  figs  of  thistles,  as  obtain 
satisfaction  from  duties  half  performed.  If  your 
present  object  be  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer,  and  the 
good  of  your  young  charge,  and  you  pursue  it  with 
an  humble,  patient,  peaceful,  and  persevering  spirit, 
Buccess  will  attend  your  endeavors ;  for  if  it  were 


HOW    AF.E    YOU    GOING    ABOUT    IT?  15 

possible  for  you  thereby  to  benefit  none  other,  you 
must,  of  necessity,  benefit  yourselves. 

Though  these  may  be  common-place  remarks,  I 
despair  not  of  making  your  hearts  glow  by  some  of 
my  future  observations  ;  in  the  mean  time,  while 
you  pursue  your  Sabbath  enterprise,  neglect  not  al- 
together my  friendly  inquiry,  Hoic  are  you  going 
about  it  ?  for  it  may  call  up  useful  suggestions  in 
your  mind.  Look  upwards  as  you  go  onwards  in 
your  course  of  christian  benevolence,  and  fear  no- 
thing. Ye  shall  reap,  if  ye  faint  not.  Though  I 
cannot  ensure  you  riches  and  honors  while  you  live, 
and  a  marble  monument  in  Westminster  Abbey 
when  you  die,  yet  will  I  promise  you  the  approba- 
tion of  the  wise  and  good,  the  delightful  peacefulness 
of  an  approving  conscience,  and  the  true  respect 
and  heartfelt  prayers  of  your  old  friend  Ephraim 
Holding. 


11. 

DO  YOU  LEARN  WHILE  YOU  TEACH  1 

If  you  could  at  all  enter  into  the  spirit  with  which 
I  put  the  question.  Do  you  learn  while  you  teach  ? 
you  would  gladly  allow  me  to  catechise  you  with 
kindness,  for  I  speak  to  myself  while  addressing  you. 


16  DO   YOU    LEARN  WHILE    YOU   TEACH? 

It  is  an  humbling  thing  to  feel  ignorant  when  we 
have  the  credit  of  being  wise,  and  to  lack  informa- 
tion while  we  communicate  instruction.  Alas ! 
how  often  do  I  stand  in  this  unpleasant  attitude. 
What  would  I  not  give  in  my  age,  to  have  more 
diligently  improved  my  youthful  opportunities  of 
becoming  wise  ? 

But  thoughts  like  these  are  idle  now, 

And  soothe  my  spirit  never ; 
For  time  has  deeply  marked  my  brow, 

And  youth  has  flown  for  ever ! 

I  have  known  many  people  with  too  little  wisdom 
and  useful  knowledge,  but  I  never  met  with  one 
who  had  too  much.  Unsuitable  knowledge  is  not 
useful  to  its  possessor :  were  a  farmer  to  learn  the 
art  of  ship-building,  and  a  sailor  to  study  agricul- 
ture, it  would  be  throwing  time  away  to  attain  what 
would  be  useless.  It  is  when  seeking  knowledge 
and  wisdom  suited  to  our  situation  here  and  our 
prospects  hereafter,  that  the  injunction  of  the  wise 
man  comes  with  additional  weight,  "  Wisdom  is  the 
principal  thing,  therefore  get  wisdom,  and  with  all 
thy  getting  get  understanding."     Prov.  iv.  7. 

On  a  certain  occasion  a  party  lost  themselves  in 
a  wood,  when  one  of  the  company  undertook  to 
guide  them  out  of  it ;  this  he  would  no  doubt  have 
done  had  he  known  the  way  out  of  it  himself,  but 
being  equally  ignorant  with  his  companions,  though 
more  confident,  he  only  involved  them  in  greater 


DO  YOU  LEARN  WHILE  YOU  TEACH?      17 

difficulty  by  leading-  them  farther  and  farther  into 
the  leafy  labyrinth. 

In  another  case,  the  driver  of  a  stage  coach  being 
taken  ill,  one  of  the  passengers,  a  thoughtless,  da- 
ring young  man,  boldly  occupied  the  place  of  the 
coachman,  but  being  altogether  ignorant  of  the  art 
of  driving,  he  handled  the  whip  and  the  reins  so 
awkwardly,  that  instead  of  setting  down  his  fellow- 
travellers  at  the  accustomed  inn,  he  set  them  down 
half  a  dozen  miles  short  of  it,  by  overturning  them 
on  the  road,  breaking  the  bones  of  some,  bruising 
others,  and  terribly  alarming  them  all. 

A  year  or  two  ago,  a  holiday  party  took  an  ex- 
cursion up  the  river  Thames,  in  a  boat  which  had 
a  sail  to  it,  on  which  occasion  they  unfortunately 
committed  themselves  to  the  pilotage  of  one  who 
knew  very  little  about  rowing  a  boat,  and  still  less 
of  the  management  of  a  sail.  The  consequence  of 
this  ignorance  was,  that  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  up- 
set the  boat,  and  several  of  the  party  found  a  watery 
grave.  All  these  instances  plainly  declare  that  the 
best  intentions  in  the  world,  without  knowledge, 
are  not  enough  to  enable  us  to  attain  our  ends.  The 
guide  in  the  Vv'ood,  the  driver  of  the  coach,  and  the 
pilot  of  the  boat,  all  intended  to  act  kindly,  yet  their 
want  of  knowledge  brought  about  disappointment, 
affliction,  and  death.  "  If  the  blind  lead  the  blind," 
said  the  Redeemer,  '•  both  shall  fall  into  the  ditch." 
Matt.  XV.  14. 

In  the  days  of  my  youth,  young  people  had  not 


2 


18     DO  YOU  LEARN  WHILE  YOU  TEACH? 

the  advantages  they  now  possess  in  obtaining  know- 
ledge ;  for  not  only  were  books  of  instruction  com- 
paratively few  and  defective,  but  schoolmasters  were, 
in  many  cases,  very  ignorant. 

Had  my  schoolmaster,  who  kept  a  village  board- 
ing school,  been  satisfied  in  giving  lessons  in  read- 
ing, writing,  and  the  earlier  rules  of  arithmetic,  he 
might  have  done  justice  to  those  under  his  care, 
being  thus  far,  but  no  farther,  very  well  qualified 
as  an  instructor  ;  but  no,  he  was  of  too  enterprising 
a  spirit  to  be  thus  restricted.  Vulgar  Fractions 
and  Decimals,  Algebra,  Grammar,  History,  Geog- 
raphy, Astronomy,  the  use  of  the  Globes,  and 
Latin,  were  only  a  part  of  that  knowledge  he  fear- 
lessly undertook  to  communicate. 

You  will  wonder  how,  with  so  slender  a  stock 
of  attainments,  he  contrived  to  keep  up  a  reputation 
for  learning  and  knowledge,  for  like  the  school- 
master in  the  Deserted  Village,  he  was  regarded 
as  an  oracle. 

*'  While  words  of  learned  length  and  thundering  sound, 
Amazed  the  gazing  rustics  ranged  around  ! 
And  still  they  gazed,  and  still  the  wonder  grew, 
How  one  small  head  could  carry  all  he  knew." 

The  way  in  which  he  kept  up  his  credit  Avas 
this :  he  was  quick  to  discover  an  error,  and  woe 
was  the  portion  of  the  poor  unhappy  urchin  who 
committed  one.  He  never  attempted  to  give  us  in- 
formation, if  we  required  it,  but  with  a  frown  sent 
us  back  again,  that  we  might  obtain  it  from  our 


DO   YOU   LEARN   WHILE   YOU   TEACH?  19 

books  ;  and  then  he  was  so  fearfully  severe,  that 
however  apparent  his  ignorance  might  be,  no  one 
durst  call  his  knowledge  in  question.  Had  it  not 
been  for  the  ushers  he  employed,  we  should  have 
left  school  with  very  little  addition  to  our  mental 
treasury. 

Occasionally  he  used  to  mount  his  horse  to  attend 
an  establishment  for  young  ladies  at  a  distance  of 
some  miles,  and  now  and  then  I  accompanied  him. 
As  he  knew  very  little,  you  will  readily  suppose 
that  I  knew  still  less.  Imagine  him,  then,  up  to 
his  knees  in  high-topped  boots  sitting  on  his  saddle, 
and  I,  a  boy  of  ten  or  a  dozen  years,  straddling  his 
horse  behind  him,  trotting  forward  on  our  hopeful 
enterprize.  A  pretty  pair  truly  to  communicate 
instruction ! 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  my  schoolmaster  be- 
ing called  away,  I  had  to  give  a  lecture  on  the 
globes,  and  as  well  might  I  have  attempted  a  lec- 
ture on  rope-dancing,  being  about  as  much  at  home 
on  one  subject  as  on  the  other.  To  afford  any  use- 
ful information  to  those  around  me  was  altogether 
out  of  the  question,  all  that  I  attempted  was  to  pre- 
vent their  finding  out  that  I  knew  no  more  about  the 
matter  than  they  did. 

With  this  object  in  view,  I  told  them  over  and 
over  again,  which  was  the  top  of  the  globe  and 
which  was  the  bottom  ;  explained  clearly  that  the 
latitude  was  different  from  the  longitude,  and  the 
longitude  different  from  the  latitude.      I  turned  the 


20  DO   YOU   LEARN   WHILE   YOU   TEACH? 

globe  round  and  round,  and  allowed  them  to  turn  it 
round  too,  to  gain  time,  and  then  I  assured  them  that 
the  world  was  divided  into  four  parts,  and  that  the 
four  parts  and  the  four  quarters  were  precisely  the 
same  thing. 

In  treating  on  the  celestial  globe,  I  was,  if  possi- 
ble, in  a  still  greater  difficulty  than  before,  and  only 
kept  floundering  on  from  one  senseless  remark  to 
another.  I  told  them  that  the  odd  forms  on  the 
globe  were  not  to  be  seen  in  the  skies,  and,  that  be- 
ing the  case,  advised  them  not  to  look  for  them,  as 
it  would  be  all  time  thrown  away.  That  stars  and 
planets  were  heavenly  bodies,  altogether  distinct  in 
their  character,  but  I  did  not  venture  to  explain 
wherein  one  differed  from  another.  After  mingling 
together  for  some  time,  latitude  and  longitude,  and 
the  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  stars,  planets,  and  constella- 
tions, in  admirable  confusion,  to  my  great  relief  I 
came  to  a  close  ;  what  my  pupils  thought  of  my  lec- 
ture I  never  knew  ;  but  for  myself,  even  now,  when 
it  occurs  to  my  memory,  I  could  hide  my  face  with 
both  my  hands.  Perhaps,  on  the  whole,  my  young 
friends  had  no  cause  to  complain,  for  if  I  had  not 
made  them  wise,  it  was  from  lack  of  ability,  and  not 
from  want  of  inclination.  If  I  had  not  communi- 
cated to  them  much  knowledge,  at  any  rate  I  had 
given  them  all  that  I  possessed. 

Now  this  was,  to  say  the  best  of  it,  a  very  lamen- 
table piece  of  business,  and  my  only  reason  for  al- 
luding to  it  now,  is  that  you  may  never  by  want  of 


DO   YOU   LEARN    WHILE    YOU   TEACH?  21 

knowledge,  be  placed  in  so  humiliating  a  situation. 
Do  you  feel  a  desire  to  be  equal  to  your  duties  1 
Do  you  learn  while  you  teach  1  for  unless  you  do, 
your  power  to  benefit  others  will  be  very  limited. 
A  writer,  well  known  for  his  usefulness  among 
Sunday  schools,  has  said  to  Sunday  school  teachers, 
''  You  should  prepare  the  lessons  for  your  children 
before  hand.  Nothing  can  be  done  well  without 
taking  pains.  You  should  fear  to  offer  to  children 
that  which  costs  you  nothing.  You  should  be  like 
bees  continually  gathering  sweets  from  every  flower 
to  bring  home  honey  to  the  young  swarm  in  your 
Sunday  school  hives.  Seek  to  gain  information, 
and  diligently  peruse  works  on  education,  such  as 
the  Teachers'  Magazine.  Take  this  as  a  maxim 
which  I  cannot  too  powerfully  enforce  :  '  He  who 
ceases  to  learn^  soon  becomes  unfit  to  teach.^ " 

My  present  object  is  not  to  point  out  to  you  how 
you  are  to  learn,  or  what  you  are  to  learn,  but  ra- 
ther to  increase  your  desire  to  gain  information. 
When  once  you  fully  resolve  to  get  knowledge, 
you  will  find  that  in  this  as  in  other  things,  "  where 
there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way."  Learning  without 
a  determination  to  improve,  is  like  winding  up  a 
watch  with  a  broken  main-spring.  A  kite  will  not 
fly  without  wind.  A  balloon  will  not  rise  without 
gas.  A  hackney  coach  will  not  run  without  horses, 
neither  will  you  ever  become  wise  without  a  re- 
solution to  improve.  •'  Do  you  learn^^  then^  "  whih 
you  teach  ?^^ 


22      DO  YOU  LEARN  WHILE  YOU  TEACH? 

.  It  is  said  that  "  men  are  but  children  of  a  larger 
growth  ;"  and  it  is  certain  that  the  wisest  man  has 
very  much  to  acquire.  Instead  of  regarding  schol- 
ars as  learners,  and  teachers  as  those  who  have  no- 
thing to  attain,  I  rather  look  on  scholars,  teachers, 
and  superintendents,  as  only  different  classes  in  the 
same  Sunday  school.  All  have  need  to  make  pro- 
gress in  useful  knowledge,  and  especially  to  learn 
lessons  of  Him  who  has  said,  "  Learn  of  me,  for  I 
am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls."     Matt.  xi.  29. 

The  question  was  once  asked,  "  Where  shall  we 
find  God  ?"  The  reply  given  was,  "  Where  shall 
we  not  find  Him  ?"  Something  like  the  same  ob- 
servation may  be  made  of  knowledge,  when  once 
a  thirst  to  obtain  it  has  taken  possession  of  the 
heart.  Ask  you  where  knowledge  is  to  be  ac- 
quired ?  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  firmament  sheweth  his  handy  work." 
Psa.  xix.  1.  "  The  earth  is  full  of  the  goodness  of 
the  Lord,"  Psa.  xxxiii.  5  ;  and  they  who  look  around 
with  a  hearty  desire  to  improve,  cannot  fail  to 

"  Find  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in  everything." 

The  Bible  is  within  the  reach  of  every  hand ; 
libraries  are  abundant,  and  fresh  sources  of  informa- 
tion are  continually  being  opened  around.  The 
difficulty  is  not  in  obtaining  knowledge,  but  in  mak- 
ing up  our  minds  to  become  wise. 


DO   YOU   LE.IHN    A\HILE   YOU    TEACH?  23 

Every  Sunday  school  teacher  may  rest  satisfied, 
however  limited  his  experience  and  humble  his 
qualifications,  that  if  he  is  in  earnest  to  become  use- 
ful to  his  class,  he  cannot  altogether  fail  in  his  ob- 
ject, for  he  will  then  gladly  avail  himself  of  every 
means  to  qualify  himself  for  his  office.  Did  Hut- 
ton,  a  poor  homeless,  moneyless,  friendless  lad, 
who  was  reduced  so  low  as  to  sleep,  for  the  want  of  a 
better  bed,  on  a  butcher's  block  in  the  open  street, 
did  he  become  a  wise  man  and  an  eminent  writer  ? 
Did  Ferguson,  a  poor  shepherd  boy,  without  books 
or  instructions  lay  the  foundation  of  his  future 
knowledge  as  a  famous  astronomer?  Did  Saun- 
derson  and  Huber,  though  blind,  led  on  by  a  thirst 
of  science  and  a  spirit  of  determination,  become 
eminently  wise,  the  latter  as  a  naturalist,  and  the 
former  as  a  professor  of  mathematics  ?  and  shall 
the  lowliest  Sunday  school  teacher,  blest  with  the 
use  of  all  his  faculties,  and  favoured  with  facilities, 
be  discouraged  in  obtaining  knowledge  ?  Never  ! 
Never  !  I  hold  it  as  an  axiom,  that  he  who  tied 
and  bound  with  a  sense  of  his  own-  deficiencies, 
looks  above  for  heavenly  aid,  with  a  heart  humble 
enough  to  feel  his  own  ignorance,  and  a  spirit  ar- 
dent enough  to  pursue  after  wisdom, 

Who  pants  for  knowledge,  labouring  to  be  free. 
And  says,  '  I  will  be  wise  !'  wise  he  will  be. 

Again,  I  ask,  "  Do  you  learn  while  you  teach  ?" 
For  your  own  comfort,  and  for  the  good  of  your 


24     DO  YOU  LEARN  WTIILE  YOU  TEACH  ? 

cfess,  and  for  the  glory  of  that  gracious  Redeemer, 
under  whose  banner  you  have  enrolled  yourselves, 
this  should  be  the  case.  One  of  the  most  apostolic 
ministers  of  the  gospel  that  ever  I  knew,  once  ad- 
dressed me  after  this  fashion :  (I  was  then  about 
five  and  twenty,  and  he  somewhat  more  than  three- 
score years  and  ten  :)  "  How  are  you  in  your  body, 
soul,  and  spirit?  Are  you  humble,  and  willing 
to  learn  as  you  go  on  your  way  to  heaven  ;  or,  are 
you  proud  and  puffed  up,  and  think  that  you  know 
enough  already?  There  is  plenty  to  learn.  At 
least  I  find  it  so.  If  you  are  not  learning,  you  are 
cheating  yourself  of  great  good,  and  robbing  God 
of  his  glory.  The  more  you  learn  of  his  word 
and  will,  the  better  you  will  be  able  to  serve  him  ; 
the  more  you  learn  of  his  goodness  and  grace,  the 
better  will  you  love  him,  and  the  more  gladly  will 
you  glorify  him.  Learn,  then,  every  day,  and 
all  day,  and  never  cease  learning  till  you  cease 
living!  Learn  for  yourself!  learn  for  all  around 
you  !  Learn  for  life  and  death  ;  learn  for  time  and 
eternity."  • 

As  these  remarks  suited  me  then,  they  may  pos- 
sibly suit  you  now,  and  should  they  dispose  you  to 
"  learn  while  you  ieach^^  they  may  do  you  even 
more  good  than  they  did  me. 

St.  Paul,  the  great  apostle,  though  brought  up  at 
the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  highly  educated,  learned  in 
languages  and  full  of  faith  and  christian  experience, 


DO  YOU  LEARN  WHILE  YOU  TEACH?      25 

was  a  learner  all  his  daj's.     Hear  how  anxious  he 
ts  for  future  attainments : — 

"  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained,  either 
were  already  perfect:  but  I  follow  after,  if  that 
[  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also  I  am  appre- 
hended of  Christ  Jesus.  Brethren,  I  count  not 
myself  to  have  apprehended:  but  this  one  thing 
I  do,  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are 
before,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of 
the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  Phil, 
iii.  13,  14. 

If  thus  apostles  onward  press, 
For  knowledge,  faith,  and  righteousness, 
Now  doubly  prompt  should  we  be  found, 
To  gladly  learn  of  all  around. 

I  have  somewhere  met  with  the  remark,  that  the 
beginning  of  an  address  to  Sunday  scholars  should 
be  made  to  fix  their  attention,  the  middle  of  it  to  in- 
struct their  minds,  and  the  end  to  impress  their 
hearts  ;  and  as  I  hardly  think  that  a  better  plan  than 
this  can  be  laid  down  in  addressing  Sunday  school 
teachers,  I  shall  endeavour  to  bear  it  in  my  mind. 
Whether  my  present  Homely  Hints  will  either  in- 
terest, instruct,  or  edify,  I  cannot  tell.  With  a  hal* 
lowed  influence  they  may  do  all  three.  At  any 
rate,  I  must  now  bring  them  to  a  close,  encouraging 
the  hope,  that  as  I  myself  have  often  profited  by 
3 


26   AKE  YOVR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOr ? 

humble  productions,  your  minds  also  may  be  moved 
to  learn  while  you  teach,  by  my  common-place  ob- 
serrations. 


III. 
ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GL.ID  TO  SEE   YOU  ? 

I  DID  intend  to  take  for  my  present  heading,  the 
question,  '-Are  you  glad  to  see  your  scholars  ?" 
and  in  many  respects  it  might  have  suited  my  pur- 
pose very  well ;  but,  on  maturer  consideration,  af- 
ter pondering  the  thing  in  my  mind,  a  more  impor- 
tant question  occurred  to  me  :  instead,  therefore,  of 
asking  you,  Are  you  glad  to  see  your  scholars  ?  I 
will  now  inquire,  Are  your  scholars  glad  to  see 
you  ?" 

But  do  not  hastily  suppose,  if  your  scholars  are 
glad  to  see  you,  that  even'  thing  of  necessity  must 
be  going  on  well,  for  that  is  a  consequence  which 
by  no  means  follows.  It  would  be  an  easy  thing  to 
gain  the  good  will  of  your  school  by  improper 
means.  Were  a  teacher  to  load  his  pockets  with 
apples,  oranges,  macaroons,  and  gingerbread-nuts, 
he  would  always  be  a  welcome  visitor  at  the 
school,  and  his  arrival  would  be  hailed  vnth  every 
demonstration  of  joy  ;  or  were  he  to  be  imprudently 


AE.E    YOUR    SCHOLARS    GLAD    TO    SEE    YOU  1        27 

kind  and  indulgent  in  other  ways,  he  might,  no 
doubt,  enlist  the  affections  of  his  young  friends  ;  but 
all  this  might  be  done  without  conferring  upon 
them  one  single  real  and  permanent  benefit  Out- 
ward signs  are  often  deceitful  things :  the  ruddy  glow 
that  is  the  symbol  of  life  in  the  cheek  of  health,  is 
frequently  in  the  cheek  of  disease,  the  hectic  har- 
binger of  approaching  death.  Before,  then,  we 
venture  to  decide  whether  the  pleasure  manifested 
by  your  scholars  on  your  arrival  be  a  good  sign, 
we  must  know  on  what  account  it  is  that  they  are 
glad  to  see  you. 

But  though  I  thus  speak,  it  does  appear  to  me  to 
be  a  thing  of  first  rate  importance  to  gain,  by 
proper  means,  the  good  will,  and  if  possible,  the 
warm  affections  of  your  scholars.  It  is  much 
easier  to  hold  a  boy  by  his  heart  than  by  his  ear. 
Let  a  boy  know  that  you  will  not  deceive  kim,  and 
he  will  trust  you — let  him  know  that  you  are  in 
earnest,  and  he  will  not  trifle  with  you — let  him 
know  that  you  are  consistent,  and  he  will  respect 
you — let  him  know  that  you  are  not  severe,  and  he 
will  not  be  afraid  of  you — and  let  him  know  that 
you  are  considerate  and  kind-hearted,  and  he  will 
love  you.  Two  persons,  it  is  said,  once  went  to  a 
masquerade,  the  one  drest  up  from  head  to  foot  with 
roses,  the  other  stuck  all  over  with  stinging-nettles ; 
the  consequence  might  easily  have  been  foreseen. 
Rosyposy  was  followed  wherever  he  went,  every 
one  endeavoring  to  obtain  from  him  a  flower  ;  while 


28       ARE   YOUR   SCHOLARS    GLAD    TO    SEE   YOU? 

the  whole  company  fled  from  NettJetop  in  the 
greatest  confusion.  To  apply  this  to  my  present 
purpose,  a  cheerful  and  a  kind  demeanour  is  a 
flower  that  is  sure  to  attract  young-  people  ;  and  a 
reserved,  churlish,  and  severe  aspect  is  a  stinging- 
nettle  which  is  equally  certain  to  drive  them  away. 
I  am  somewhat  afraid  that  after  all  the  plans  and 
contrivances  which  ingenuity  has  devised  to  render 
book-learning  pleasant  to  young  people,  the  time 
never  will  arrive  when  it  will  be  any  other  than  a 
trouble  to  them.  Pretty  books,  and  pictures,  and 
rhymes,  and  pleasant  tales  are  all  very  excellent  in 
their  way,  but  we  must  not  be  out  of  temper  if 
children  do  not  find  learning  quite  so  entertaining  a 
thing  as  we  wish  to  make  it ;  a  pill  is  a  pill  to  a 
child,  even  though  il  be  rolled  in  sugar  ;  and  a 
school  book  is  a  school  book,  in  spite  of  the  picture 
in  the  inside,  and  the  red  or  blue  cover  on  the  out. 
Admitting  this  to  be  the  true  state  of  the  case,  it 
will  be  better  to  hold  out  inducements  to  the  young 
mind  to  overcome  a  difficulty,  than  to  endeavour  to 
persuade  it  that  a  difficulty  does  not  exist.  If  we 
cannot  say  the  hill  is  not  steep,  we  can  at  any  rate 
speak  of  the  fair  prospect  which  is  to  be  seen  from 
the  top  of  it.  Whatever  impediments  there  may  be 
in  the  path  of  education,  the  most  likely  way  to 
overcome  them — to  make  the  crooked  straight,  and 
the  rough  plain,  is  for  the  teachers  to  be  on  good 
terms  with  those  they  instruct.  If  a  teacher  be  re- 
garded more  as  an  enemy  than  a  friend,  the  molo 


ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOU?   29 

hill  will  become  a  mountain,  and  the  streamlet  a 
rushing  river  ;  so  that  it  is  no  unimportant  question 
that  I  ask — "  Are  your  scholars  glad  to  see  you  ?" 

Different  kinds  of  fish  are  caught  with  different 
baits  ;  and  nothing  can  be  plainer  than  the  propriety 
of  treating  children  according  to  their  different  dis- 
positions :  some  are  bold  and  callous,  others  are 
timid  and  susceptible  : — one  boy  will  laugh  at  a  re- 
proof that  would  almost  break  another's  heart.  A 
knowledge  of  the  character  is,  therefore,  essentially 
necessary  ;  for,  without  it  time  will  be  wasted,  and 
effort  misdirected.  I  knew  a  severe  schoolmaster, 
who  had  so  little  discrimination,  that  a  boy  who 
could  not,  received  the  same  punishment  at  his 
hands  as  the  boy  who  would  not ;  and  on  one  occa- 
sion he  lightly  reproved  a  stubborn  scholar,  while 
he  caught  one,  to  whom  a  word  would  have  been 
sufficient,  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  and  struck  him 
on  the  ribs  with  his  clenched  fists.  Such  an  in- 
structor might  compel  obedience,  but  he  was  not  at 
all  likely  to  win  the  good  will  or  the  good  opinion 
of  his  scholars,  and  whether  he  was  glad  or  not  to 
see  them,  certain  it  is  that  they  were  never  glad  to 
see  him. 

The  poet  tells  us  that  it  is  a 

"  Delightful  task,  to  rear  the  tender  thought, 

To  teach  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot, 

And  pour  the  fresh  instruction  o'er  the  mind !" 

and  so  it  must  be  to  a  fond  parent,  who  has  suffi- 
cient leisure  to  attend  to  the  instructions  of  an  affec- 
3* 


30   ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOU? 

tionate  child  ;  but  it  is  quite  another  thing  to  g"0 
through  the  routine  of  an  extended  school,  to  in- 
struct the  often-times  wayward  children  of  stran- 
gers. A  high  tone  of  benevolence  is  required  to 
make  such  a  path  appear  a  path  of  roses,  and  per- 
haps, a  still  higher  sense  of  duty  and  christian  zeal 
to  persevere  therein,  when  it  is  found  to  be  a  path 
of  thorns. 

As  it  is  a  mark  of  wisdom  to  be  humble  enough 
gladly  to  pick  up  a  useful  hint,  however  lowly  may 
be  the  source  whence  it  is  obtained,  so  you  must 
not  despise  the  homely  hints  of  Ephraim  Holding, 
even  though  they  be  scattered  loosely  throughout 
his  observations,  and  at  times  but  slenderly  con- 
nected with  the  subject  on  which  he  treats.  Give, 
then,  a  moment's  consideration  to  the  following 
points : — 

Amuse  your  scholars  when  you  can,  ever  keep- 
ing in  view  their  improvement  and  real  good.  As 
a  carpenter  drives  a  nail,  where  he  has  bored  a 
hole  with  his  gimlet,  so  should  you  follow  up  a 
cheerful  remark  with  a  lesson  of  instruction. 

Aim  often  at  the  heart ;  better  foster  one  good 
affection,  than  impress  two  good  lessons  on  the 
memory.  A  heart  is  like  a  house,  once  get  the  key 
of  it  and  take  possession,  and  you  may  put  into  it 
what  furniture  you  please. 

Never  fail  to  give  encouragement  to  the  tracta- 
ble and  timid.     A  well  timed  word  will  sometimes 


ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOU  ?   31 

work  a  wonder.  "  A  word  fitly  spoken,  is  like 
apples  of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver,"  Prov.  xxv.  11. 

Reprove  with  kindness,  but  never  with  levity  ; 
let  it  be  seen  that  bad  conduct  afflicts  you.  "  You 
droll  boy,  I  am  very  angry  with  you,"  will  be  a 
bounty  for  future  misconduct.  You  may  as,  well 
trifle  with  the  cub  of  a  tiger  as  with  a  bad  propen- 
sity, for  when  fully  grown  it  will  turn  again  and 
rend  you. 

Speak  a  word  now  and  then,  in  private,  to  such 
of  your  scholars  as  you  wish  to  impress;  you  may 
do  more  in  the  way  of  correction  and  encourage- 
ment, by  this  mode,  in  five  minutes,  that  by  aa 
hour's  public  exhortation. 

Draw  a  wide  distinction  between  a  want  of  talent 
and  a  want  of  attention,  and  try  to  make  your 
scholars  draw  it  too.  All  the  reproof  in  the  world 
will  fail  to  make  a  feeble  boy  carry  a  heavy  bur- 
den, or  a  weak  intellect  accomplish  a  difficult  task. 

Often  look  under  your  own  waistcoat,  for  it  v/ill 
tell  you  what  is  going  on  under  the  waistcoat  of  an- 
other. Often  consider  how  you  felt  and  reasoned 
when  a  boy ;  it  will  tell  you  what  are  the  feelings 
and  thoughts  of  the  boys  under  your  care,  and  this 
knowledge  will  enable  you  to  act  with  more  com- 
fort to  yourself,  and  advantage  to  them. 

Learn  what  you  can  from  those  below  you,  as 
well  as  from  those  above  you  ;  be  not  too  humble 
to  look  up,  nor  too  proud  to  look  down,  as  you  may 
lose  much  that  you  might  otherwise  attain.     When 


32   ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOU  ? 

a  boy  goes  nutting,  he  climbs  for  the  brown  clus 
ters,  but  when  he  goes  mushrooming,  he  aioo'ps  to 
the  very  grmivd. 

I  might  go  on  in  this  way  for  an  hour,  scattering 
my  homely  hints  for  you  to  pick  up  or  pass  by,  ac- 
cording to  your  inclination  ;  but  in  walking  through 
the  world,  we  must  think  of  others  as  well  as  our- 
selves. That  which  may  be  very  pleasant  to  me, 
may  be  very  irksome  to  you.  To  offer  a  few  points 
now,  and  a  few  another  time,  may  be  a  much  better 
plan,  than  that  of  wearying  you  with  a  redundance 
of  advice.  I  think,  however,  that  some  attention  to 
what  has  fallen  from  me,  will  not  be  time  thrown 
away,  as  it  may  render  you  more  serviceable  to 
your  scholars,  and  also  make  them  more  glad  to 
see  you. 

If  it  so  happens  that  your  scholars  are  glad  to 
see  you  that  their  countenances  brighten  up  at  your 
approach,  that  nothing  in  short  can  be  clearer  than 
the  flict  that  you  have  won  their  affections,  I  would 
then  just  sugsfest  that  you  should  put  the  question 
to  yourselves.  How  have  I  contrived  to  secure  their 
good  opinion  ?  You  cannot  ask  this  question 
honestly,  and  reply  to  it  truly,  without  advantage, 
for  the  response  will  either  afford  you  satisfaction, 
or  convince  you  of  an  error.  If  you  have  secured 
the  love  of  your  scholars,  without  compromise  of  a 
faithful  discharge  of  duty — without  losing  sight  of 
their  intellectual  improvement  and  spiritual  wel- 
fare, much  cause  have  you  for  joy  ;  but  if,  on  the 


ARE   YOUR    SCHOLARS    GLAD    TO    SEE    YOU?       33 

contrary,  you  have  secured  their  attachment  by  im- 
prudent concessions  and  injudicious  kindness,  nei- 
ther really  effectually  aiding  them  in  the  acquire- 
ment of  useful  knowledge,  nor  earnestly  helping 
them  on  their  way  to  heaven,  reason  enough  have 
you  for  serious  reflection.  Ephraim  Holding  has 
made  in  his  time  (to  his  sorrow  be  it  spoken,)  as 
many  mistakes  as  his  neighbours,  and  as  they  never 
imparted  to  him  anything  else  than  vexation  and 
regret,  so  he  feels  the  more  anxious  to  play  the 
beacon  to  his  friends,  warning  them  away  from  evil 
and  error. 

But  what  shall  I  say  if  your  scholars  are  not 
glad  to  see  you  ?  This  is  a  bad  sign  truly  ;  for 
though  it  is  very  possible  the  fault  may  be  on  the 
part  of  your  scholars,  it  is  much  more  probable 
that  it  rests  with  yourselves.  Nay,  my  advice  to 
you  in  such  a  case  is,  to  take  it  for  granted,  at  once, 
that  the  error  is  your  own,  and  set  about  its  correc- 
tion in  right  earnest.  So  long  as  a  workman  loses 
his  time  in  complaining  either  of  his  tools,  or  of 
the  materials  on  which  he  is  employed,  he  makes 
no  progress  ;  but  the  moment  he  is  determined  to 
do  his  very  best  with  the  one  and  the  other,  his 
eyes  become  brighter  and  his  work  becomes  lighter. 
If  your  scholars  are  not  glad  to  see  you,'  something 
is  going  on  wrong,  and  the  sooner  that  something 
is  discovered  the  better.  Try  yourselves  on  this 
point ;  for  as  I  said  before,  so  I  say  again,  as  a 
generax  rule,  Let  a  boy  know  that  you  will  not 


34        ARE   YOUR    SCHOLARS   GLAD    TO    SEE   YOU? 

deceive  him,  and  he  will  trust  you — let  him  know 
that  you  are  in  earnest,  and  he  will  not  trifle  with 
you — let  him  know  that  you  are  consistent,  and  he 
will  respect  you — let  him  know  that  you  are  not 
severe,  and  he  will  not  be  afraid  of  you — and  let 
him  know  that  you  are  considerate  and  kindhearted, 
and  he  will  love  you. 

As  you  are  so  much  my  juniors,  you  must  allow 
me  to  point  out  a  common  error  in  young  people  ; 
it  is  this — they  have  frequently  a  stronger  inclina- 
tion to  enter  on  duties  which  do  not  belong  to  them, 
than  to  discharge  thoroughly  those  which  do.  I 
have  often  run  into  this  error  in  my  younger  days — 
not  contented  with  doing  little  things,  I  have  been 
ambitious  to  effect  great  ones.  In  many  cases  such 
an  error  is  a  great  obstacle  to  usefulness.  Think 
of  this,  and  remember  that  you  are  not  superintend- 
ents, nor  ministers,  but  Sunday  school  teachers. 
Assume  not  undue  authority ;  enter  not  on  duties 
appertaining  to  others,  but  in  an  humble,  earnest, 
ardent,  prayerful,  hopeful  spirit,  work  manfully  in 
your  vocation,  discharging  the  commonest  duty  that 
devolves  upon  you  with  christian  cheerfulness. 
This  is  the  Avay  to  obtain  your  own  satisfaction ; 
this  is  the  way  to  do  good  to  your  scholars,  and 
a  very  likely  way  to  make  them  always  glad  to 
see  you. 

I  need  not  be  told  that  Sunday  school  teachers 
have  their  troubles,  for  w^ho  is  there  that  is  free 
from  them !     In  mind,  in  body,  or  in  estate,  we 


ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOU?   35 

are  sure  to  be  tried,  for  "  God  is  too  merciful  to 
leave  us  without  trial." 

"Whate'er  our  stations,  'all  are  men, 
Condemned  alike  to  groan ; 
The  tender  for  another's  pain 
The  unfeeling  for  his  own.'  " 

I  need  not  be  told  that  the  cares  of  your  school 
are  not  your  only  cares,  and  that,  at  times,  you 
are  unfitted  for  the  efficient  discharge  of  your 
Sabbath  duties.  You  doubtless  have  your  pain- 
ful visitations  ;  but  an  armed  man  escapes  many 
a  wound  that  unarmed  he  would  receive.  Have 
you  put  on  your  armour — your  christian  panoply  ? 

"  The  darts  of  anguish  iix  not  where  the  seat 
Of  suffering  hath  been  thoroughly  fortified, 
By  acquiescence  in  the  will  supreme, 
For  time  and  for  eternity  : — by  faith. 
Faith  absolute  in  God,  including  hope, 
And  the  defence  that  lies  in  boundless  love 
Of  his  perfections ;  with  habitual  dread 
Of  aught  unworthily  conceived,  endured 
Impatiently — ill-done,  or  left  undone, 
To  the  dishonour  of  his  holy  name." 

Clothed  with  humility,  and  clad  in  christian  ar- 
mour, you  may  go  forwards  fearlessly.  Look  up- 
wards in  every  difficulty,  keep  your  eyes  on  the  end, 
and  remember  you  are  at  work  for  eternity.  When 
the  surrounding  bustle  of  busy  man  has  subsided  ; 
when  the  railroads  of  the  earth,  and  the  balloons  of 
the  air,  shall  be  done  away  ;  when  the  fleets  of  the 


36   ARE  YOUR  SCHOLARS  GLAD  TO  SEE  YOU? 

sea,  the  steam  carriages  of  the  land,  and  all  the 
mighty  armaments  of  war  shall  be  no  more  seen ; 
then  will  myriads  of  Sunday  School  scholars,  in- 
structed in  righteousness  on  earth,  and  brought  to 
know  Him,  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal,  be  assem- 
bled around  the  throne  of  the  High  and  Holy  One. 
There  will  they  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable,  and 
there  will  they  be  glad  to  see  their  teachers.  Such 
a  thought  is  an  encouraging  one,  and  strongly  con- 
trasts the  hollowness  of  earthly  things,  compared 
with  those  that  are  heavenly. 

"  Earthly  things 
Are  but  the  transient  pageants  of  an  hour : 
And  earthly  pride  is  Uke  the  passing  flower 
That  springs  to  fall,  and  blossoms  but  to  die." 

When  a  sportsman  wishes  to  do  double  execu- 
tion, he  puts  into  his  fowling-piece  a  double  charge. 
I  am  no  sportsman,  but  there  can  be  no  harm  in  my 
profiting  by  his  example.  Therefore,  though  I 
have  been  hitherto  contented  with  asking  you  but 
one  of  my  questions,  I  will  now  ask  you  the  two 
together.  Are  you,  then,  glad  to  see  your  scholars  ? 
and  Are  your  scholars  glad  to  see  you  ? 


IV. 

CAN  YOU  BEAR  REPROOF  1 

Think  not  by  my  present  motto  that  I  am  about 
to  reprove  you,  for  nothing  is  more  distant  from  my 
thoughts :  a  homely  hint  is  all  that  I  have  for  your 
consideration.  You  may  remember  my  former  re- 
mark, "  It  is  an  humbling  thing  to  feel  ignorant 
when  we  have  the  credit  of  being  wise,  and  to  lack 
information  while  we  communicate  instruction."  I 
might  have  added,  also,  that  it  is  an  ungracious 
thing  to  inflict  reproof  on  others,  when  we  know 
that  we  are  too  impatient  to  endure  it  ourselves. 

You  will  not  expect  me  to  take  it  for  granted, 
that  all  Sunday  school  teachers  are  deeply  impress- 
ed with  religious  truth,  richly  endowed  with  scrip- 
tural knowledge,  filled  with  christian  zeal,  and  ex- 
emplary in  their  conduct ;  no,  this  I  cannot  do.  If, 
on  the  one  hand,  my  judgment  and  affections  lead 
me  to  respect  you,  and  to  think  and  speak  well  of 
you  ;  on  the  other  hand,  reason,  reflection,  expe- 
rience, and  fidelity,  require  me  to  admit  that  many 
among  you  stand  in  need,  aye,  and  in  great  need 
too,  of  the  kind  counsels  and  christian  examples  of 
those  whose  years  and  experience  exceed  your  own. 
In  this  thing  I  must  be  honest,  though  I  will  take 
4 


38  CAN   YOU   BEAR   REPROOF? 

care  neither  to  be  churlish  nor  unkind.  Prepare, 
then,  for  my  question :  Can  you  hear  reproof? 

When  a  doctor  takes  the  medicine  he  prescribes, 
it  is  a  proof  that  he  really  believes  it  will  do  his  pa- 
tient good  ;  on  this  principle  it  was,  that  the  ques- 
tion about  to  be  put  to  you,  was,  half  an  hour  ago, 
put  to  myself  You  shall  have  an  account  of  what 
took  place ;  I  will  tell  you  the  result  of  my  com- 
muning with  myself,  with  all  openness  and  sincerity. 

"Hark  you,"  said  I,  "Mr.  Ephraim  Holding, 
you  are  about  to  seat  yourself  in  your  easy  chair 
very  comfortably,  and  to  put  a  question  to  your 
younger  friends,  the  teachers  of  Sunday  schools ; 
now,  if  it  makes  no  difference  to  you,  perhaps  you 
will  be  good  enough  first  to  put  the  question  to  your- 
self Come,  let  me  hear  your  reply.  Can  you 
bear  reproof?     Can  you  with  truth  say, — 

"  Though  much  I  like  the  smiling  look 

That  cheers  me  on  my  way, 
Much  more  I  love  the  just  rebuke 

That  drives  my  faults  away  T' 

Can  you  reply.  Yes,  to  this  question?" 
After  much  pondering  on  the  matter,  1  was 
obliged  to  confess  that  I  could  not.  Here,  for  a 
moment,  the  affair  seemed  to  be  at  an  end ;  but  a  lit- 
tle farther  consideration  told  me,  that  my  want  of 
ability  to  reply  to  the  inquiry  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner, was  the  strongest  reason  in  the  world  why  I 
should  put  it  to  my  young  friends,  lest  they,  when 


CAN    YOU    BEAR    REPROOF?  39 

they  came  to  have  ^rey  hairs,  should  be  found  ill 
the  same  situation.  "  If  I  cannot  reply,  Yes,"  said 
I,  "  to  the  inquiry,  Can  you  hear  rej)roof?  the  more 
shame  for  me,  and  the  greater  reason  there  is  that 
while  my  young  friends  are  considering  the  ques- 
tion, I  should  consider  it  too." 

To  speak  the  truth,  it  is  a  trouble  to  me  that  I 
cannot  bear  reproof  so  meekly  as  I  could  wish : 
not  that  I  fall  into  a  passion,  or  give  peevish  and 
bitter  replies,  or  even  show  by  my  looks  that  I  am 
displeased,  for  that  would  be  worse  than  bad ;  yet 
still  there  is  some  degree  of  restlessness,  impatience, 
and  quickness  of  feeling  in  my  heart  when  I  am  re- 
proved. The  praise  that  may  do  me  evil  is  more 
welcome  than  the  reproof  that  may  do  me  good. 
Now  this  is  not  consistent  with  a  hearty  desire  to 
receive  and  profit  by  the  admonitions  of  my  friends. 

He  that  instructs  should  stand  aloof 

From  selfish  love  of  praise ; — 
He  that  reproves  should  bear  reproof, 

And  ponder  well  his  ways, 

I  am  the  more  anxious  that  you  should  be  able 
to  endure  xeproof,  because  some  experience  with  the 
world  has  convinced  me  that  this  endurance  is  a 
very  rare  quality,  and  not  easily  to  be  attained. 
There  are  those  who  can  bear  losses  and  crosses, 
heavy  tibials  and  severe  afflictions,  summer's  heat 
and  winter's  cold,  better  than  they  can  bear  reproof: 
this  is,  however,  no  mark  of  discretion,  for  "a  re- 


40  CAN    YOU   BEAR   REPROOF? 

proof  entereth  more  into  a  wise  man  than  a  hundred 
stripes  into  a  fool."  Prov.  xvii.  10.  If  there  are 
comparatively  but  few  who  can  bear  reproof,  we 
ought,  as  far  as  possible,  to  increase  their  number. 

A  Sunday  school  teacher  is  a  wholesale  dealer 
in  reproof,  for  twenty  times  a  day  he  has  to  reprove 
those  who  are  under  his  care ;  if,  therefore,  he  can- 
not bear  himself  what  he  inflicts  on  others,  he  must 
continually  endure  his  own  reproach.  Put  in  prac- 
tice, then,  every  virtue  and  christian  grace  that  you 
desire  to  see  in  those  you  instruct,  for  this  will  be 
the  way  to  add  to  your  own  peace  and  comfort,  and 
to  set  them  a  good  example  ;  let  your  scholars  find 
in  you  that  which  calls  forth  their  respect,  and  you 
will  be  the  more  likely  to  benefit  them  by  your  in- 
structions. 

A  few  days  ago,  I  stood  for  some  time  to  observe 
a  long-tailed  colt  under  the  care  of  a  jockey.  The 
mettlesome  young  creature  had  not  been  broken  in, 
and  he  scorned  the  restraint  of  the  bit  and  bridle  ; 
he  would  have  his  own  way,  and  oh  !  what  lashes 
that  way  cost  him.  Sometimes  he  pranced  and 
reared,  and  at  other  times  he  kicked  and  plunged  ; 
but  it  was  spending  his  strength  in  vain,  for  the 
jockey  had  put  a  strong  curb  in  his  mouth,  bridling 
down  his  proud  neck  till  his  snorting  nostrils  almost 
touched  his  breast ;  and  with  a  long-thonged  whip 
he  lashed  him  round  a  circle,  till  the  impatient  and 
distressed  animal  was  so  covered  with  foam  and  per- 
spiration, that  he  had  not  a  dry  hair  on  his  body. 


CAN    YOU    BEAR    REPROOF?  41 

This  very  day  the  young  colt  passed  by  with  the 
jockey  on  his  back.  That  which  was  difficult  to 
him  has  become  easy  ;  his  kicking  and  plunging 
is  all  over,  for  he  obeys  the  bit  and  bridle,  and  walks 
round  the  circle,  or  along  the  road,  with  the  meek- 
ness of  a  lamb,  without  receiving  a  single  lash  from 
the  jockey.  This  young  colt  is  a  lively  image 
of  one  wilful  in  his  disposition,  before  and  after  he 
can  bear  reproof  At  first,  proud,  impatient,  restless, 
and  wilful ;  afterwards,  humble,  enduring,  quiet, 
and  submissive. 

Say  what  you  will,  it  is  an  excellent  thing  to  be 
able  to  bear  reproof;  may  I,  then,  frankly  and  freely 
press  on  your  consideration  the  propriety  of  your 
meekly  enduring  the  reproof  of  those  who  are 
older  than  you,  and  who  have  had  more  experience : 
the  reproof  of  your  own  consciences,  which  ought 
never  to  be  disregarded,  and  the  reproof  of  God's 
holy  word,  which  should  ever  be  highly  estimated. 
The  wise  man  says,  '•  As  an  ear-ring  of  gold,  and 
an  ornament  of  fine  gold,  so  is  a  wise  reprover 
upon  an  obedient  ear."  Prov.  xxv.  12.  And  the 
royal  Psalmist  says,  "  Let  the  righteous  smite  me ; 
it  shall  be  a  kindness  :  and  let  him  reprove  me  ;  it 
shall  be  an  excellent  oil,  which  shall  not  break  my 
head."     Ps.  cxli.  5. 

We  old  men  are  fond  of  contrasting  the  present 

with  the  past ;  and  sometimes  you  would  almost 

gather,  from  our  too  partial  observations,  that  we 

really  suppose  the  grass  of  the  field  to  have  been 

4* 


42  CAN    YOU    EEAPw   REPROOF? 

much  greener,  and  the  sun  in  the  firmament  a  great 
deal  brighter,  when  we  were  young,  than  they  are 
now :  of  this,  however,  I  feel  very  sure,  that  three- 
score years  ago  it  was  as  bad  a  thing  not  to  be  able 
to  bear  reproof  as  it  is  at  this  present  time. 

You  may,  perhaps,  remember  that  my  last  ad- 
dress contained  the  following  remark :  "  I  knew  a 
severe  schoolmaster  who  had  so  little  discrimination, 
that  a  boy  who  could  not,  received  the  same  punish- 
ment as  the  boy  who  would  not ;  and  on  one  oc- 
casion he  lightly  reproved  a  stubborn  scholar,  while 
he  caught  one,  to  whom  a  word  would  have  been 
sufiicient,  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  and  struck  him 
on  the  ribs  with  his  clenched  fist :"  now  the  poor 
culprit  here  alluded  to,  was  no  other  than  he  who 
is  now  addressing  you  ;  it  was  Ephraim  Holding 
who  received  this  harsh  chastisement  at  the  hands 
of  his  severe  instructor. 

It  would  have  been  well  for  me  had  I  borne  with 
patience  this  unmerited  severity  ;  but,  alas  !  I  could 
not  bear  reproof:  the  sparks  of  anger  were  kindled 
in  my  heart,  and  my  officious  schoolfellows,  instead 
of  extinguishing  them,  fanned  them  into  a  confla- 
gration. I  ran  away  from  school,  and  thereby,  not 
only  afflicted  my  parents  and  friends,  but  also 
brought  on  myself  a  train  of  evils,  much  more  dif- 
ficult to  endure  than  the  heavy  hand  of  my  passion- 
ate schoolmaster.  Though  so  many  years  have 
passed  since  this  event  took  place,  I  feel  something 
very  like  shame  when  it  occurs  to  my  remembrance. 


^      I 


CAN   YOU   BEAR   REPROOF?  43 

But  it  is  not  just  and  merited  reproof  alone  that 
you  should  be  able  to  endure  ;  but  that,  also,  which 
is  neither  merited  nor  just.  You  can  hardly  expect 
to  pass  through  the  world,  without,  in  many  cases, 
your  motives  being  misunderstood,  and  your  actions 
being  misrepresented.  How  striking  and  full  of  in- 
struction is  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle,  "For 
what  glory,  is  it,  if,  when  ye  be  buffeted  for  your 
faults,  ye  shall  take  it  patiently  ?  but  if,  when  ye 
do  well,  and  suffer  for  it,  ye  take  it  patiently,  this  is 
acceptable  with  God."  1  Peter  ii.  20.  And  what 
a  beautiful  illustration  of  meekness  is  offered  in  the 
person  of  the  Redeemer,  "  Who  did  no  sin,  neither 
was  guile  found  in  his  mouth ;  who  when  he  was 
reviled,  reviled  not  again ;  when  he  suffered,  he 
threatened  not ;  but  committed  himself  to  Him  that 
judgeth  righteously :  who  his  own  self  bare  our 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we,  being 
dead  to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness."  1  Pet 
il  22—24. 

He  who  is  up  in  arms  on  every  occasion  to  jus- 
tify himself,  and  avenge  the  slightest  trespass  on  his 
reputation,  "jealous  in  honour,  sudden  and  quick  in 
quarrel,"  is  like  the  oak,  which,  in  defying  the 
Uorm,  is  torn  up  by  its  roots  from  the  ground ; 
while  he  who  can  bear  reproof,  and  meekly  endure 
mjuries,  resembles  the  bending  willow,  that  lifts  up 
its  head  when  the  tempest  has  passed  by.  A  little 
meekness  is  worth  more  than  a  great  deal  of  indig- 
nation. 


•  44  CAN    YOU    BEAR    REPROOF  ? 

I  remember  being-  present  in  a  court  of  justice, 
when  the  magistrate  very  sharply  rebuked  a  poor 
man,  one  of  the  witnesses  in  the  cause  that  was  be- 
ing- tried  ;  the  magistrate  was  angry,  and  his  re- 
marks were  severe  and  unjust,  but  the  poor  man  had 
learnt  to  bear  reproof,  and  he  uttered  not  a  word 
in  reply.  Some  time  after  the  witnesses  had  left  the 
court,  it  became  apparent  to  the  magistrate  that  he 
had  been  in  error ;  he  immediately  recalled  the 
poor  man,  and  thus  addressed  him  :  "  Witness,  I 
find  that  you  were  in  the  right,  and  I  in  the  wrong ; 
I  was  hasty  when  I  spoke  to  you,  and  did  you  an 
injustice,  I  am  sorry  for  it,  and  beg  your  pardon." 
There  are  many  who  would  think  that  the  magis- 
trate condescended  too  much,  and  acted  unwisely, 
but  I  think  otherwise  ;  a  public  injury  requires  a 
public  reparation.  Not  willingly  would  I  lower  the 
character  of  any  one  in  authority  ;  but  give  me  a 
magistrate  who  will  publicly  beg  pardon  of  a  poor 
man  whom  he  has  publicly  injured. 

You  see  how,  in  my  rambling  way,  I  endeavour 
to  impress  your  minds  with  the  advantage  of  being 
able  to  bear  reproof ;  but  if,  instead  of  my  putting 
to  you  the  question  at  the  head  of  this  address,  you 
can  be  prevailed  on  to  put  it  to  yourselves,  the  advan- 
tage will  be  much  greater.  One  word  from  your- 
selves will  be  worth  twenty  from  me.  Nothing 
like  communing  with  your  own  hearts  ! 

Who  ponders  books  and  studies  man, 
Grows  slowly  wise  by  rule  j 


CAN   YOU   BEAR   REPROOF?  45 

But  he  who  communes  with  his  heart, 
Can  never  be  a  fool. 

Some  years  ago,  I  knew  a  man  who  was  very 
passionate,  unaccustomed  to  restraint,  and  altogether 
unable  to  bear  reproof.  One  day,  when  I  was  pre- 
sent, he  quarrelled  with  his  son,  who  had  all  the 
faults-  of  his  father,  and  told  him  that  he  would  have 
no  hectoring,  domineering  blades  in  his  house :  this 
was  a  reproof  that  the  son  could  not  and  would  not 
bear  ;  so,  smiting  the  table  with  his  fist,  and  declar- 
ing that  he  would  not  stop  at  home  to  be  tyrannised 
over  by  his  father,  he  angrily  left  the  house,  violent- 
ly closing  the  door  after  him. 

No  sooner  had  he  departed,  than  his  mother 
began  to  rebuke  her  husband,  asking  him  if  he  was 
not  ashamed  to  reprove  his  son  so  sharply  for  a 
fault  in  which  he  was  outdone  by  his  father  ?  "  You 
know,  John,"  said  she,  "  that  I  have  had  ten  times 
more  trouble  with  you  and  your  hasty  temper,  than 
you  have  ever  had  with  your  son."  Jumping  up 
from  his  chair,  the  husband  declared  that  no  wife 
in  the  world  should  lecture  him  ;  that  he  would  say 
what  he  liked,  and  do  what  he  liked,  and  fall  into 
a  passion  when  he  pleased,  without  being  controlled 
by  her  or  by  anybody.  Hateful  as  this  scene  was 
to  witness,  it  was  no  more  than  an  every  day  affair, 
for  father,  mother,  and  son,  were  all  unable  to  bear 
reproof:  from  morning  to  night,  discord  and  dis- 
order prevailed,  and  one  outbreak  of  anger  was 
quickly  succeeded  by  another. 


46  DO   YOU    STUDY   THE 

Now,  seeing  the  ill  effects  of  not  being  able  to 
control  the  .temper,  or  to  bear  reproof  in  after  life, 
what  an  important  charge  is  that  of  the  education 
of  children,  and  how  necessary  it  is  that  those  who 
undertake  it  should  be  thoroughly  furnished,  to  ex- 
hibit in  spirit,  principle  and  practice,  that  christian 
meekness,  forbearance,  and  endurance  of  reproof, 
which,  with  God's  grace,  they  hope  to  instil  into 
the  hearts  of  those  they  instruct.  Sunday  school 
teachers  should  be  models  of  meekness,  patterns  of 
piety,  and  abounding  always  in  "  every  good  word 
and  work." 


T. 


DO  YOU  STUDY  THE  HABITS  OF  YOUNG 
PEOPLE  1 

I  THINK  it  necessary  to  explain,  that  m  my  home- 
ly hints,  I  have  not  laid  down  a  regular  plan,  to 
work  out,  by  systematic  steps,  some  great  design. 
No,  my  object  is  a  more  humble  one.  I  leave  to 
wiser  heads  than  mine,  the  great  business  of  im- 
parting enlarged  and  systematic  education,  while  I, 
from  time  to  time  simply  take  up  such  a  motto  as 
may  occur  to  me,  and  work  it  up  in  the  way  that 
appears  the  most  likely  to  interest  and  instruct  you. 


HABITS  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE?  47 

The  hints  which  I  throw  out  at  one  time,  do  not  of 
necessity  follow  those  which  precede  them. 
Though  the  address,  "  Can  you  bear  reproof?" 
happens  to  have  been  written  before  the  present  one, 
it  may  be  read  after  it  without  disadvantage. 

When  soldiers  besiege  a  fortress,  they  proceed 
systematically,  investing  the  place,  and  cutting 
trenches  or  ditches,  whereby,  while  they  defend 
themselves  from  the  enemy,  they  gradually  ap- 
proach the  fortress  ;  what  is  called  the  first  parallel 
is  formed,  then  the  second,  and  afterwards  the 
third  ;  the  covered  way  is  seized,  the  moat  crossed, 
and  possession  taken  of  the  works,  one  after  an- 
other, till  the  citadel  itself  is  conquered. 

Now  all  these  actions  must  be  performed  in  reg- 
ular order  ;  the  first  must,  of  necessity,  take  place 
before  the  second,  and  the  second  before  the  third  ; 
the  place  must  be  invested  before  the  trenches  are 
dug,  and  the  walls  must  be  won  before  the  citadel 
can  be  taken.  It  is  the  same  with  education  ;  the 
rudiments  must  be  mastered  before  higher  attain- 
ments can  be  made.  Any  attempt  to  teach  a  child 
to  read  before  he  could  spell,  or  spell  before  he  had 
been  taught  his  letters,  would  be  throwing  time 
away ;  tut,  as  I  said  before,  my  simple  object  does 
not  require  me  to  adopt  any  systematic  arrange- 
ment. 

The  humble  hint  that  I  now  propose  to  impart, 
is  the  propriety  of  your  paying  some  attention  to 
the  temper  and  disposition  of  those  you  instruct.    It 


«t5  DO   YOU   STUDY   THE 

is  not  enough  to  see  that  your  scholars  are  at  school 
in  proper  time,  that  their  dress  is  neat,  and  that  their 
hands  and  faces  are  clean :  it  is  not  sufficient  that 
you  hear  them  repeat  what  they  have  committed  to 
memory,  and  instruct  them  to  read  and  spell ;  for 
though  punctuality,  neatness,  and  an  ability  to  read 
and  recite,  are  good  things,  yet  are  they  but  the 
stepping  stones  to  those  that  are  better.  If  you 
would  do  all  the  good  that  lies  in  your  power,  you 
must,  among  other  things,  study  the  habits  of  chil- 
dren, by  calling  to  mind  what  you  remember  of 
yourselves,  and  observing  all  you  can  in  the  young 
people  around  you.  A  knowledge  of  the  habits  of 
thinking,  of  the  likes  and  dislikes,  and  of  the  pre- 
judices and  inclinations  of  children,  will  greatly  as- 
sist you,  and  strengthen  your  hands  in  the  benevo- 
lent enterprise  you  have  undertaken. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  take  a  glance  at  young  peo- 
ple, and  at  those  things  which  are  most  apparent  in 
their  disposition  and  character,  from  the  child  in 
arms  to  the  school-boy.  "  The  infant  in  arms 
makes  known  its  desire  for  fresh  air  by  restless- 
ness ;  it  cries,  for  it  cannot  speak  its  wants :  it  is 
taken  abroad,  and  then  it  is  quiet. 

"  All  children  love  to  go  into  the  open  air ;  they 
prefer  the  grass  to  the  footpath,  and  to  wander,  in- 
stead of  walking  where  they  are  bidden  ;  '  when,' 
say  they,  '  shall  we  get  into  the  open  fields  ?' 

They  seek  after  some  new  thing,  and  convert 
what  they  find  to  their  own  use.     A  stick  placed 


HABITS  OF  YOUNG  PEOPLE?  49 

between  the  legs,  makes  a  horse  ;  a  wisp  of  straw, 
or  a  stone  drawn  along  at  the  end  of  a  string,  is 
a  cart.  On  the  sides  of  banks  and  in  green  lanes, 
they  see  the  daily  issues  from  the  great  treasury  of 
the  earth — opening  buds,  new  flowers,  and  surpris- 
ing insects.  They  come  home  laden  with  unheard- 
of  curiosities,  w^onderful  rarities  of  their  new-found 
world,  and  tell  of  their  being  met  by  ladies  whom 
they  admired,  and  who  spoke  to  them." 

While  these  things  are  going  on,  a  love  of  imi- 
tation is  apparent.  One  does  what  another  does, 
and  desires  to  have  what  another  has.  Boys  are 
much  taken  up  with  whips,  balls,  tops,  hoops,  and 
kites  ;  and  girls  are  equally  occupied  with  dolls, 
toys,  battledores,  shuttlecocks,  and  skipping  ropes  ; 
while  a  love  of  dress  is  observable  in  both.  There 
is  a  striving  in  young  people  to  get  their  own  way ; 
a  wilfulness,  that,  if  not  watched  over  and  pru- 
dently controlled,  would  bring  them  into  much  trou- 
ble ;  a  disinclination  to  school,  and  a  love  of  holi- 
day, that  is  apt  to  make  them  inattentive  to  their 
learning.  Young  people  prefer  playthings  to 
books,  and  will,  when  a  volume  is  set  before  them, 
dwell  on  the  pictures  longer  thanfton  the  print ; 
they  prefer  a  fable  to  the  moral  at  the  end  of  it,  and 
a  droll  story  or  marvellous  relation  to  a  wise  and 
serious  remark.  A  love  of  rambling  and  of  see- 
ing sights,  especially  of  natural  scenery,  is  observ- 
able ;  mountains,  rivers,  and  trees,  the  rising  and 
5 


50  DO   YOU    STUDY   THE 

setting    sun,   and  the    ever-changing    clouds    of 
heaven. 

Besides  all  these  things,  and  a  hundred  others, 
they  have  evil  passions  at  work  in  their  hearts,  co- 
veting what  others  possess,  envying  such  as  are 
better  off  than  themselves,  and  hating  those  whom 
they  think  have  injured  them.  The  more  you 
know  of  the  hearts  and  dispositions  of  the  children 
under  your  care,  the  more  easily  will  you  excite 
them  to  good,  and  deter  them  from  evil. 

Now,  if  you  reflect  on  the  matter,  you  will  find 
that  man  obtains  his  ascendancy  over  the  lower 
creatures  of  creation,  greatly  by  a  knowledge  of 
their  nature  and  habits.  He  knows  that  small  birds 
are  fond  of  seed  and  crumbs  of  bread ;  so  with 
crumbs  of  bread  or  seed,  he  decoys  them  into  his 
snares.  He  knows  that  they  are  frightened  at  hu- 
man beings,  and  at  unusual  sights  and  sounds  ;  so, 
that  putting  up  a  scarecrow  like  a  man,  and  a 
whirling  rattle,  he  frights  them  from  the  gardens 
and  the  fields.  He  knows  that  the  lion  is  too  strong 
to  be  struggled  with,  and  the  antelope  too  swift  to 
be  overtaken  by  him  ;  so  he  attacks  them  with  pow- 
der and  ball,  ai^d  thereby  subdues  them  both.  He 
finds  out  the  food  that  different  fishes  eat,  and, 
baiting  his  hooks  accordingly,  easily  takes  them 
from  the  water. 

Without  a  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  these  crea- 
tures, man  might  use  his  powers  in  vain  ;  if  he 
spreads  crumbs  of  bread  and  seed  before  the  lion. 


HABITS    OF    YOUNG   PEOPLE?  51 

or  baited  a  hook  for  the  birds,  or  levelled  his  gun 
at  the  fish  in  the  water,  he  would  meet  with  little 
success.  I  hope  that  I  make  myself  intelligible  to 
you,  and  that  you  see  clearly,  that  if  it  be  necessary 
to  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  these  crea- 
tures to  enable  man  to  subject  them  to  his  purposes, 
it  is  equally  necessary  to  be  acquainted  with  the 
habits  and  dispositions  of  children,  to  be  enabled 
properly  to  instruct  them.  I  have  before  said,  and 
now  I  repeat  it  again,  "  nothing  can  be  plainer 
than  the  propriety  of  treating  children  according  to 
their  dispositions.  Some  are  bold  and  callous, 
others  are  timid  and  susceptible  ;  one  boy  will 
laugh  at  a  reproof  which  would  almost  break  the 
heart  of  another." 

It  is  true  that  as  we  have  all  been  young,  so  we 
all  know  something  of  the  habits  of  children  ;  but 
as  every  year  removes  us  farther  from  childhood, 
giving  us  new  emotions  and  fresh  objects,  we  are 
apt  to  lose  sight  of  what  we  once  knew.  Take  for 
instance  the  childish  tales  which  in  earlier  days  we 
may  have  wondered  and  wept  over ;  they  will  now 
neither  excite  our  wonder,  nor  call  forth  our  tears. 
Each  of  us  may  say  of  them, 

"  I  hear  them  told  to  children  still, 
But  fear  numbs  not  my  spirit's  chill ; 
I  still  see  faces  pale  with  dread, 
While  mine  could  laugh  at  what  is  said ; 
See  tears  imagined  woes  supply, 
While  mine  with  real  cares  are  dry. 


52  DO    YOU    STUDY    THE 

Where  are  they  gone  1     The  joys  and  fears 
The  Unks,  the  \iie  of  other  years  ! 
I  thought  they  twined  around  my  heart, 
So  close,  that  we  could  never  part ; 
But  reason,  like  a  Winter's  day, 
Nipped  childhood's  visions  all  away, 
Nor  left  behind  one  withering  flower, 
To  cherish  in  a  lonely  hour." 

Among-  all  the  trifling  and  absolute  childish 
ness  that,  at  times,  may  be  found  in  mankind,  yet 
with  regard  to  our  habits  and  feelings  generally, 
the  apostle'c  description  is  strikingly  correct : 
"  When  I  was  a  child,  I  spake  as  a  child,  I  under- 
stood as  a  child,  I  thought  as  a  child  :  but  when  I 
became  a  man,  I  put  away  childish  things."  1  Cor. 
xii.  11. 

Study,  then,  the  habits  of  the  young ;  and  re- 
flect when  you  take  a  glance  at  your  assembled 
classes,  that  the  advantages  of  a  virtuous  life  with 
heaven  in  prospect  are  so  infinitely  desirable,  and 
the  wretchedness  of  a  vicious  course  ending  in 
eternal  woe,  so  immeasurably  fearful,  that  no  pains 
can  be  too  great  to  secure  for  those  under  your 
care  the  one,  and  to  enable  them  to  escape  the 
other.  Where  evil  grows,  spare  it  not ;  cast  it 
out  root  and  branch,  still  remembering  that  love 
which  worketh  most  effectually  in  restraining  evil 
and  in  doing  good :  and  where  you  discover  the 
seeds  of  piety,  foster  them  with  care,  for  with  God's 
help,  they  shall  spring  up  to  be  trees  in  the  para- 
dise above. 


HABITS    OF    YOUNG    PEOPLE?  53 

I  want  you  to  think  highly  of  the  work  you 
have  in  hand  ;  to  be  in  love  with  it,  and  to  task 
your  powers  to  the  utmost  in  bringing  it  to  perfec- 
tion. Sleep  not  at  your  post  of  christian  love  and 
duty  ;  slumber  not  in  directing  young  pilgrims  the 
way  to  heaven.  Look  on  your  scholars  with  af- 
fection, be  diligent  in  teaching  them,  study  their  dis- 
positions, bear  with  them,  be  faithful  to  them,  watch 
over  them,  pray  for  them,  and  fail  not  to  seek  for 
yourselves  that  Almighty  aid  and  heavenly  grace, 
which  can  alone  enable  you  to  do  for  them  all  that 
you  have  undertaken. 

A  few  hundred  years  ago,  Rubens,  and  Raphael, 
and  Michael  Angelo  were  at  work  with  their 
brushes  painting  those  pictures  which  now  call 
forth  the  admiration  of  the  world  ;  and  more  than 
a  thousand  years  have  passed  by,  since  Phidias 
and  Praxiteles  produced,  with  their  chisels,  those 
beautiful  productions  of  '•  breathing  marble,"  which 
have  gained  them  the  universal  applause  of  poster- 
ity. Rubens,  Raphael,  and  Angelo,  Phidias  and 
Praxiteles,  considered  their  works  to  be  important, 
and  all  their  faculties  were  taxed  to  bring  them 
as  near  as  possible  to  perfection : — they  looked 
with  pride  to  the  "  immortality  of  earth  and  time ;" 
but  your  works  are  intended  for  heaven  and  eter- 
nity. When  the  chiselled  marble  of  the  sculptor 
shall  have  crumbled  into  dust,  and  the  coloured 
canvass  of  the  painter  "  shrunk  as  a  shrivelled 
scroll "  these  "  little  children" — these  Sunday  scho- 
5* 


'54  DO   YOU   LOOK 

lars  of  yours,  will,  we  trust,  be  before  the  throne 
of  the  Eternal,  chanting  their  hosannas,  and  sing- 
ing  the  new  song,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain." 

It  may  be,  that  these  unconnected,  but  warm- 
hearted remarks — these  humble,  but  well  intended 
hints  of  Ephraim  Holding,  may  set  you  thinking 
more  of  the  high  position  you  occupy  as  husband- 
men in  the  vineyard  of  the  Holy  One.  Oh,  that 
your  grapes  may  appear  in  goodly  clusters,  and 
your  vintage  prove  abundant !  What  a  source  of 
comfort !  What  a  tower  of  strength  to  an  humble- 
minded  and  zealous  Sunday  school  teacher,  in  the 
midst  of  all  his  difficulties  and  disappointments,  are 
the  words  of  the  Redeemer,  "  Suffer  little  children 
to  come  unto  me  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven." 


VI. 

DO  YOU  LOOK  BACKWARDS  AND  FORWARDS  i 

To  turih  back,  after  having  set  out  on  a  praise- 
worthy enterprise,  or  even  to  look  back  in  doubt, 
hesitation,  and  despondency  is  not  a  creditable  thing 
to  any  one. 


BACKWARDS    AND    FORWARDS?  55 

"  Think  well  before  you  pursue  it, 
But  when  you  begin,  go  through  it," 

is  a  much  better  course  of  proceeding.  Wherij 
however,  I  propose  the  question,  "  Do  you  look 
backioards  and  forwards  i"'  in  order  to  induce  you 
to  do  the  one  and  the  other,  nothing  can  be  farther 
from  my  thought  than  the  desire  that,  as  Sunday 
school  teachers,  you  should  either  look  backwards 
with  despondency,  or  forwards  with  presumption. 

There  is  often  so  much  of  profit  and  encourage- 
ment in  looking  backwards,  and  so  much  of  hope 
and  grateful  anticipation  in  looking  forwards,  that  I 
should  be  sorry  for  you  not  to  secure  the  advan- 
tages of  so  prudent  a  practice.  If  in  gazing  on  a 
floweret,  you  look  back  to  the  time  when  you  set 
the  seed  in  the  earth,  and  forward  to  the  season 
when  you  expect  it  to  flourish  in  all  its  prime,  you 
greatly  add  to  the  amount  of  your  satisfaction.  And 
if  in  an  enterprise  of  difficulty,  you  take  a  glance 
at  the  past  errors  of  inexperience,  as  well  as  at  the 
future  probable  success  of  increased  ability  to  be  use- 
ful, it  will  do  you  good.  Whether,  then,  you  re- 
gard your  youthful  scholars  as  blossoms  which  are 
to  burst  into  a  fuller  bloom,  or  consider  Sunday 
school  teaching  as  an  enterprise  of  a  difficult  under- 
taking, in  either  case  the  advantage  of  looking  back- 
wards and  forwards  will  be  equally  apparent. 

By  looking  backwards,  the  past  will  be  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  present.  All  that  you  have  heard, 
read,  or  met  with,  in  your  experience,  will  be  made 


,50  DO    YOU    LOOK 

serviceable  in  your  career  as  a  Sunday  school 
teacher.  Thus,  should  you  be  tried  by  a  wilful 
and  stubborn  diposition  in  a  scholar,  you  may  per- 
haps remember,  that  on  a  certain  occasion  a  father, 
finding  he  could  not  prevail  on  his  stubborn-hearted 
child  to  go  down  on  his  knees,  to  ask  God  to  for- 
give him  some  sin  that  he  had  committed — told  him, 
that  it  would  never  do  for  things  to  remain  in  that 
manner,  and  that,  if  he  would  not  pray  for  forgive- 
ness, he  (the  father)  must  pray  for  him.  With  that, 
the  anxious  parent  went  down  on  his  knees,  and 
prayed  so  earnestly  that  the  child  relented:  he 
burst  into  tears,  and  fell  down  on  his  knees  beside 
his  father  This  anecdote  is  full  of  instruction,  for 
it  tells  us,  in  the  plainest  language,  that  there  are 
other  modes  of  conquering  a  rebellious  spirit  than 
those  of  severity.  Are  you  humble  enough,  if  re- 
quired, to  put  them  m  practice  ?  If  you  meet  with 
an  undutiful  or  disobedient  scholar,  it  may  be  that, 
by  looking  backwards,  you  may  call  to  mind  the 
instance  which  once  occurred  of  a  kind  mother  re- 
questing her  thoughtless  daughter,  who  was  going 
on  a  visit,  to  be  sure  to  execute  some  little  commis- 
sion with  which  she  entrusted  her.  The  request 
was  neglected,  the  mother  was  taken  ill,  and  before 
the  daughter  returned  home,  she  had  breathed  her 
last.  I  am  told,  that  to  this  day  that  daughter  has 
not  forgiven  herself,  for  neglecting  the  last  request 
made  to  her  by  her  affectionate  mother.  The  rela- 
tion of  this  circumstance  to  your  class  may  impress 


BACKWARDS    AND    FORWARDS?  57 

the  minds  of  some  of  them,  and  dispose  them,  more 
than  before,  to  honour  and  be  obedient  to  their  pa- 
rents. 

If  any  of  your  scholars  should  be  dull  and  back- 
ward through  the  want  of  ability,  it  may  be  some 
encouragement  to  you  to  call  to  mind,  that  a  little 
boy.  commonly  regarded  as  an  idiot,  once  applied 
to  be  admitted  into  a  Sunday  school :  deficient  as  he 
was  in  intellect,  he  made  up  for  it  by  application 
and  desire  for  improvement,  so  that  he  not  only  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  instruction  himself,  but  also  was 
made  useful  in  imparting  it  to  others ;  living  an 
humble,  useful,  and  consistent  life,  and  dying  in 
peace,  in  hope,  and  in  joy,  nothing  doubting,  that 
through  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  should  have 
an  abundant  entrance  into  a  world  of  glory. 

Take  my  advice,  my  friends,  and  see  if,  by  look- 
ing backwards,  you  cannot  recollect  many  instances 
of  this  sort,  that  may  be  made  useful  to  the  young 
people  committed  to  your  charge.  That  which  has 
been  of  service  to  one,  may  be  of  service  to  another ; 
and  what  occurred  years  ago,  may  become,  as  I  be- 
fore said,  a  blessing  at  the  present  hour.  A  mind 
well  stored  with  interesting  anecdotes  of  the  past, 
may  frequently  apply  them  with  advantage,  to  amuse, 
interest,  instruct,  impress,  reprove,  or  encourage 
those  around.  The  advantage  of  looking  back- 
wards, with  the  intention  of  profiting  by  it  in  sea- 
sons that  are  to  come,  is  great ;  but,  perhaps,  I  shall 


58  DO    YOU    LOOK 

put  this  in  a  plainer  point  of  view  by  telling  you  a 
tale. 

Abdallah,  the  Daring,  a  cruel  and  reckless  Be- 
douin of  the  Desert,  whose  armed  band  had  de- 
spoiled many  a  caravan  of  its  treasures,  and  whose 
very  name  was  terrible,  took  shelter  from  a  storm 
in  the  humble  cell  of  Ben  Omar,  the  Anchorite. 
Omar  was  clad  in  sackcloth,  with  his  head  un- 
covered, but  Abdallah  wore  a  dress  of  the  finest 
linen,  while  a  costly  turban  glittering  with  precious 
stones,  the  spoil  of  a  plundered  merchant,  adorned 
his  brow. 

The  Bedouin  robber  became  thoughtful,  for  he 
saw  that  the  hermit  Omar  was  happier  than  he. 
The  slave  of  caprice  and  passion,  he  neither  knew 
security  nor  repose — his  precious  stones  glittered  on 
an  aching  brow,  and  his  costly  robes  covered  a  dis- 
contented heart. 

"  Omar,"  said  Abdallah,  "  Thou  art  wise !  I  can 
overtake  the  fleet  ostrich ;  I  can  overcome  the  armed 
caravan,  and  I  know  where  to  find  every  spring 
of  the  desert ;  tell  me  where  I  must  look  to  obtain 
wisdom ?"  "  Look  backwards  and  forwards,^  re- 
plied Omar,  as  the  robber  chief  turned  the  head  of 
his  steed  towards  the  sandy  wilderness. 

Shrill  was  the  wind  as  it  swept  the  sandy  plain, 
and  the  storm  was  yet  loud,  but  the  voice  of  Ben 
Omar  still  sounded  in  the  ears  of  Abdallah :  "  Look 
backwards  and  forwardsj^  were  words  that  were 
graven  on  his  memory.     When  he  hastened  on, 


BACKWARDS    AND   FORWARDS?  59 

they  seemed  to  pursue  him,  and  when  he  pitched 
his  tent,  they  tabernacled  in  his  heart.  He  looked 
backwards,  and  saw  youth  with  injustice,  oppression 
and  cruelty — he  looked  forwards,  and  saw  age  with 
dishonour,  remorse,  and  discontent.  The  life  of  a 
robber  had  now  no  charms  for  him,  for  Abdallah 
the  Daring  was  Abdallah  the  Contrite  ;  by  looking 
backwards  and  foricards^  he  became  humble  and 
wise,  the  defender  of  the  defenceless,  and  the  friend 
of  mankind. 

The  benefit  of  looking  backwards  is  apparent, 
and  the  advantage  of  looking  forwards  is  not  less 
so.  The  mariner,  who  sees  at  a  distance  the  white 
cliffs  of  his  native  land,  forgets  the  storms  that  have 
arrested  his  course ;  and  the  benighted  traveller 
who  descries  the  distant  light  of  the  hospitable 
hearth,  has  already  forgotten  the  dangers  of  dark- 
ness. It  is  a  hundred  to  one  if  the  farmer  would 
have  energy  of  purpose  enough  to  manure  the 
ground,  to  break  it  up  with  the  plough,  to  tear  it 
asunder  with  the  harrows,  and  to  sow  it  with  grain, 
if  he  saw  not  in  prospect  the  abundant  crop,  the 
goodly  sheaves,  the  loaded  wagon,  and  the  bulky 
wheat  ricks  as  the  reward  of  his  toil.  Neither 
mariners  nor  travellers  have  more  reason  for  en- 
couragement than  Sunday  school  teachers.  Not  more 
surely  shall  the  farmer  gather  in  his  harvest,  than 
you  shall  gather  in  yours  :  "  Ye  shall  reap  if  ye 
faint  not."  Go  on,  then,  in  your  praiseworthy  course, 
kindly  and  steadily,  hopefully,  prayerfully,  and  per- 


60  DO    YOU   LOOK 

severingly,  leaving  the  issue  to  the  Almighty  Ruler 
of  all  events,  with  simple  dependence  on  his  wisdom, 
his  goodness,  and  his  power. 

It  may  be,  that  you  are  much  better  read  than  I 
am  in  ancient  history,  and  that  you  know  more  than 
I  do  about  the  numerous  gods  worshipped  by  the 
Greeks  and  Romans :  but  should  it  be  otherwise, 
you  will  not  object  to  my  introduction  of  Janus.  This 
heathen  deity  is  represented  as  having  two  faces, 
one  looking  backwards  and  the  other  forwards,  to 
intimate  his  knowledge  of  the  past  and  the  future. 
The  festival  called  Agonalia,  kept  in  honour  of  him, 
was  held  in  January.  Now  January  has  two  faces 
as  well  as  Janus  ;  for  it  seems  at  the  same  time  to 
partake  of  the  winter  of  the  old  year,  and  of  the 
spring  of  the  new  year.  I  do  not  want  you  to  wor- 
ship idols,  but  I  have  a  wish  that  you  should  ob- 
tain a  christian  lesson  from  a  heathenish  custom,  so 
that,  by  looking  backwards  and  forwards  like  Ja- 
nus and  January,  thereby  increasing  your  experi- 
ence and  forethought,  you  may,  as  faithful  husband- 
men, train  up  the  young  vines  under  your  care, 
with  more  profit  to  them,  and  with  more  pleasure 
to  yourselves. 

I  love  to  lay  hold  of  any  circumstance  in  com- 
mon life  that  helps  me  to  illustrate  aught  that  I  may 
have  to  describe.  A  day  or  two  ago,  I  was  talk- 
ing to  a  sea  captain  of  the  dangers  of  the  deep, 
"  You  had  need  look  about  you,  captain,"  said  I, 
for  you  seem  to  be  surrounded  with  peril."     "  We 


BACKWARDS    AND    FORWARDS?  61 

are,"  said  he,  "  but  we  keep  a  sharp  look  out  from 
the  mast  head ;  for  when  all  is  right  to  starboard, 
all  may  be  wrong  to  larboard,  and  when  we  have 
no  breakers  ahead,  we  may  have  a  privateer  astern." 

Sunday  school  teachers  have  dangers  to  guard 
against,  as  well  as  advantages  to  secure,  and  they 
ought  to  keep  as  sharp  a  look-out  as  mariners  at 
sea.  Though  they  have  neither  breakers  nor  pri- 
vateers to  contend  with,  they  have  other  perils. 
Their  scholars  may  be  led  away  by  ill  example 
and  deceitful  snares ;  or  their  heads  may  be  well 
informed,  while  their  hearts  are  unimpressed  with 
divine  things.  Keep  a  sharp  look-out,  then.  Look 
backwards  and  forwards,  and  intercede  with  earn- 
estness at  the  throne  of  mercy,  that  your  little  ones 
may  be  led  away  from  temptation,  and  delivered 
from  all  evil. 

I  have  before  alluded  to  the  fact,  that  many  per- 
sons have  acted  an  important  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  world,  who  in  the  days  of  their  youth  were 
poor  friendless  lads  that  no  one  cared  for,  left  to 
struggle  on  by  themselves  without  a  helping  hand, 
or  a  word  of  comfort  or  encouragement.  It  has 
often  occurred  to  me,  and  may  have  occurred  to  you, 
when  reading  of  them,  what  pleasure  it  would  have 
been  to  have  fallen  in  with  them,  and  to  have  acted 
a  friendly  part  by  them,  when  they  stood  in  need  of 
a  friend.  Now,  how  do  you  know  but  that  the 
poorest  lad  in  your  Sunday  school,  aye,  and  he  who 
has  the  least  to  recommend  him  to  your  notice, 
6 


62  DO    YOU   LOOK 

may  in  future  years  become  rich,  liberal,  and  use- 
ful ;  and  that  he  may  frequently  call  to  mind  the 
kindness  of  his  Sunday  school  teacher,  at  a  time 
when  he  had  hardly  any  other  friend.  The  very 
thought  is  enough  to  stir  you  up  to  increased  earn- 
estness and  kindness,  in  the  service  of  your  Sab- 
bath-day little  friends.  This  suggestion,  to  look 
backwards  to  what  has  been,  and  forwards  to  what 
may  be,  must  not  be  neglected.  You  must  put  it 
among  the  other  humble  hints  of  Ephraim  Hold- 
ing. Some  of  them  may  be  but  of  little  value  ; 
but,  take  them  altogether,  they  may  not  be  without 
advantage. 

I  hardly  kno^^,  whether  I  use  a  right  term  in 
calling  your  scholars  Sabbath-day  little  friends,  be- 
cause if  you  are  really  interested  in  their  welfare, 
you  will  regard  them  as  friends  on  one  day  as  much 
as  another.  The  matter  is  of  very  little  conse- 
quence, for  whatever  I  call  them,  and  however  you 
regard  them,  they  are  our  younger  brethren,  the 
heads  of  future  families,  heirs  of  immortality,  and 
candidates  for  heaven. 

If  all  the  kindly  thoughts  that  are  felt,  and  all 
the  grateful  words  that  are  spoken,  by  Sunday 
school  scholars  respecting  their  teachers  could  be 
made  known,  they  would  no  doubt  prove  an  abun- 
dant encouragement  to  their  instructors  ;  but  this  can- 
not be  the  case.  We  must  not,  however,  suppose  that 
these  kindly  thoughts  and  grateful  expressions  do 
not  take  place;  merely  because  we  hear  so  little  of 


BACKWARDS    AND    FORWARDS?  63 

them.  If  experience  tells  us  that  we  ourselves 
have  ever  retained  a  thankful  remembrance  of 
kindness  exercised  towards  us  in  our  earlier  days, 
it  is  fair  to  conclude  that  other  hearts  are  as  grate- 
ful as  our  own.  Yes!  yes!  in  the  midst  of  the 
waywardness,  the  wilfulness,  the  carelessness,  and 
apparent  ingratitude  which  meet  the  eye,  there  no 
doubt  is,  in  hundreds  of  instances,  a  principle  of 
thankfulness  at  work  in  the  heart,  a  principle  that 
no  future  occurrence  will  akogether  destroy.  I 
was  once  accosted  by  a  young  female  whom  I  did 
not  know  ;  in  the  most  grateful  manner  she  re- 
minded me  that  I  had  taught  her  to  write  when  she 
was  a  child  :  and  I  know  one  with  grey  hairs  on 
his  head,  who  is  in  the  habit  of  relating  the  fact, 
that  the  sum  of  two  pence  given  to  him  in  a  kindly 
spirit  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  had  made  a 
deeper  impression  of  thankfulness  on  his  memory, 
than  any  money  transaction  which  had  ever  taken 
place  in  the  course  of  his  life. 

But  though  many  motives  may  influence  the 
minds  of  Sunday  school  teachers  in  giving  their  in- 
structions, the  highest  of  all  motives,  the  glory  of 
the  Redeemer,  should  take  the  lead,  followed,  as 
next  in  order,  by  the  desire  for  the  eternal  welfare 
of  their  tender  charge.  It  is,  doubtless,  a  pleasant 
thing  to  call  forth  the  love  and  thankfulness  of  those 
you  have  benefited  ;  but  it  is  a  yet  more  desirable 
thing  to  show  your  love  and  gratitude  to  Him  who 
has  so  abundantly  benefited  you.     To  the  Lord  of 


64  DO   YOU   LOOK 

life  and  glory  you  are  indebted  for  every  thing  you 
possess  here,  as  well  as  for  every  hope  you  have  of 
an  hereafter.  Think  less,  then,  of  the  gratitude  you 
should  receive,  than  of  that  you  should  pay — less 
of  what  your  scholars  owe  you,  than  of  what  you 
owe  the  Almighty  Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect 
gift.  If,  duly  impressed  with  God's  goodness,  you 
look  backwards  at  your  past  mercies,  and  forwards 
to  your  future  inheritance  in  heaven,  you  will  feel 
constrained  to  show  your  love  to  the  Redeemer,  by 
acts  of  kindness  to  the  little  ones  who  call  upon  his 
name  and  profess  to  be  his  disciples.  It  is  not  the 
greatest  act  of  kindness  alone  that  will  be  accepted 
by  him,  but  the  least :  "  Whosoever  shall  give  to 
drink  unto  one  of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold 
water  only  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward." 
Matt.  X.  42. 

You  see  how  I  have  turned  and  twined  this  hum^ 
ble  hint  of  looking  backwards  and  forwards,  with 
the  desire  of  arresting  your  attention,  and  impress 
ing  your  minds :  I  had  some  hope  when  I  began 
of  doing  it  better,  but  as  it  is,  I  have  done  my  best. 
Try  if  you  cannot  improve  on  my  imperfect  per- 
formance. Your  eyes  are  younger,  and  no  doubt 
stronger  than  mine  ;  and  if,  with  God's  grace  within 
you,  you  look  sharply  about  you.  perhaps  you  may 
see  many  things  that  escape  an  old  man's  notice 
Lose  no  time,  however,  for  life  is  uncertain.  Ho^^ 
arrestingly  solemn  are  the  words — 


BACKWARDS    AND    FORWARDS  ?  65 

"  Time,  like  an  ever-rolling  stream 

Bears  all  its  sons  away ; 
They  fly,  forgotten,  as  a  dream 

Dies  at  the  opening  day, 

Like  flowery  fields  the  nations  stand, 

Pleased  with  the  morning  light : 
The  flowers  beneath  the  mower's  hand, 

Lie  withering  ere  'tis  night. 

O  God,  our  hope  in  ages  past, 

Our  hope  for  years  to  come  ; 
Be  thou  our  guard  whilst  life  shall  last, 

And  our  eternal  home," 


VII. 

ARE  YOU  PRAYERFUL,  HOPEFUL,  AND 
TRUSTFUL 1 

If  I  could  hit  upon  some  contrivance  that  would 
at  once  remove  all  your  difficulties  as  Sunday 
school  teachers,  and  so  far  strengthen  your  hands, 
that  you  might  carry  on  with  railroad  speed  all 
your  plans  for  tne  good  of  your  scholars — if  I 
could  enable  you,  at  one  and  the  same  time,  to 
put  all  necessary  knowledge  into  iheir  heads,  and 
all  desirab'e  affections  into  their  hearts,  it  would 
be  to  me  a  most  delightful  circumstance  ;  but  this 
is  a  state  of  things  neither  to  be  brought  about 
6* 


66  ARE   YOU    PRAYERFUL, 

by  the  humble  hints  of  Ephraim  Holding,  nor 
by  the  wisdom  and  benevolence  of  wiser  and  better 
men. 

There  has  no  way  been  yet  discovered  of  build- 
ing a  house,  other  than  that  of  placing  properly 
one  brick  or  one  stone  at  a  time  :  there  has  no  way 
at  present  been  devised  to  make  corn  grow  in  any 
other  manner  than  that  of  preparing  the  ground, 
sowing  the  seed,  and  waiting  for  it  to  spring  up  and 
ripen  day  by  day  a  little  at  a  time.  But  even  if 
we  could  build  houses,  and  make  corn  grow  and 
ripen  at  once  we  should  still  be  as  incompetent  as 
ever  to  make  young  people  good  and  wise  in  any 
other  way  than  that  of  patiently  and  perseveringly 
doing  our  best  to  instruct  them,  and  waiting  trust- 
fully for  the  blessing  of  God  on  our  endeavours. 
This  being  the  case,  let  me  ask,  Are  you  prayerful, 
hopeful,  and  trustful  ? 

It  is  melancholy  to  think  how  many  deprive 
themselves  of  comfort,  and  rob  God  of  his  glory, 
by  neglecting  prayer.  If  prayer  be  "  to  the  soul 
what  food  is  to  the  body,"  how  foolish  we  must  be 
to  deprive  ourselves  of  the  nourishment  and  strength 
it  imparts.  If  one  of  you  were  to  refuse  his  meals 
he  would  be  thought  to  be  bedde  himself;  why 
then  should  he  not  be  judged  in  the  same  way  when 
he  neglects  his  prayers  ? 

Depend  upon  it,  my  young  friends,  that  a  throne 
of  grace  is  the  strong-hold  of  all  who  fear  God  ; 
the  ever-flowing  and  inexhaustible  fountain  of  good 


HOPEFUL,  AND  TRUSTFUL?  67 

things  for  time  and  eternity.  If  you  want  peace, 
love,  hope,  faith,  and  joy,  seek  them  where  you 
will,  the  throne  of  grace  is  the  only  place  where  you 
can  reasonably  hope  to  find  them.  You  must  let 
me  dwell  a  little  on  this  matter,  for  your  sakes  and 
for  my  own. 

Prayer,  in  simple  language,  is,  among  christian 
people,  the  act  of  asking  God,  in  the  Saviour's 
name,  to  do  that  for  us  which  we  cannot  do  for  our- 
selves ;  and  if  we  all  had  a  due  sense  of  the  value 
of  prayer,  in  affording  us  peace,  in  exciting  hope 
and  confidence,  and  in  strengthening  our  hands  and 
hearts,  there  would  not  be  found  a  prayerless  per- 
son from  Kent  to  Cornwall,  from  Northumberland 
to  the  Isle  of  Wight.  On  !  how  often  do  crooked 
things  become  straight,  and  rough  places  become 
plain,  and  things  seemingly  impossible  become 
easy,  after  rising  from  our  knees.  If  you  are 
not  prayerful,  you  may  be  fit  for  many  avoca- 
tions, but  you  are  not  fit  to  be  a  Sunday  school 
teacher. 

Think  not  for  a  moment  that  I  suppose  you 
either  rise  in  the  morning  or  lie  down  at  night, 
without  prayer,  for  I  think  nothing  of  the  sort ; 
but  what  I  am  contending  for  is  a  prayerful  spirit, 
whereby  you  may  secure  all  the  advantages  of 
holding  communion  with  God.  We  may  pray, 
without  being  prayerful.  We  may  bend  our 
knees,  without  giving  up  our  hearts  to  God. 
Do  you  remember,  in   Pilgrim's  Progress,  how 


poor  Christian's  burden  fell  from  his  back  when 
he  came  to  the  cross  ?  If  you  have  any  burden 
that  prevents  your  getting  forwards  as  Sunday 
school  teachers,  take  it  to  a  throne  of  grace,  and, 
like  poor  Pilgrim,  you  are  very  likely  to  leave  i^ 
behind  you. 

If  with  prayer  you  find  difficulties  in  your  path, 
without  prayer  you  will  find  many  more.  To 
begin  or  to  attempt  to  carry  on  any  measure  of  im- 
portance without  imploring  God's  assistance,  is 
very  like  saying  to  the  High  and  Holy  One,  "  I 
can  do  without  you." 

Prayer  is  a  blest  employ,  that  throws 
A  heavenly  balm  o'er  earthly  woes ; 
That  spreads  a  peace  through  every  hour, 
And  clothes  the  weakest  arm  with  power. 

We  all  of  us  practise  prayer  too  little  ;  and  I  am 
afraid  that,  if  it  were  possible  to  ascertain  the  truth, 
it  would  be  found  that  there  are  thousands  of  prayer- 
less  people,  who,  in  their  several  troubles  and  diffi- 
culties, are  always  seeking  help  from  those  who 
can  do  little  or  nothing  for  them,  and  never  seeking 
it  of  God,  who  can  do  everything.  They  who 
would  stand  strong  on  their  legs,  should  often  fall 
down  on  their  knees  ;  and  if  you  are  in  earnest  in 
your  desire  rightly  to  teach  those  under  your  care, 
you  will  diligently  seek  to  be  taught  yourself  by  a 
Heavenly  Instructor.  "  Cultivate,"  says  one,  "  I 
beseech  you,  the  spirit,  and  copy  the  example  of 


HOPEFUL,  AND  TRUSTFUL  ?  69 

Him,  '  who  went  about  doing  good.'  Commune 
much  with  him  in  his  word,  spend  much  of  your 
time  at  his  footstool.  So  shall  you  enjoy  his 
smiles,  and  his  holy  cause  shall  prosper  in  your 
hands." 

Are  you  hopeful?  But  I  feel  almost  ashamed 
to  ask  the  question.  Will  any  one  sow  seed  that 
he  thinks  will  never  spring  up  ?  Or  set  a  sapling 
without  expecting  it  to  grow?  This  would  be  out 
of  the  question  ;  and  quite  as  much  so  to  undertake 
to  teach  a  class  of  Sunday  scholars  without  hoping 
to  do  them  good.  Yet  still  there  are  different  de- 
grees of  hopefulness,  and  I  want  yours  to  be  of  the 
highest  and  brightest  kind. 

You  have  heard,  no  doubt,  the  old  adage,  "  If  it 
were  not  for  hope  the  heart  would  break."  There 
is  something  so  encouraging  in  hopefulness,  that  we 
should  do  all  in  our  power  to  increase  it.  The  eye 
of  the  hopeful  is  bright ;  the  foot  of  the  hopeful  is 
nimble  ;  the  hand  of  the  hopeful  is  strong  ;  and  the 
heart  of  the  hopeful  is  animated.  If,  therefore,  you 
would  have  a  bright  eye,  a  nimble  foot,  a  strong 
hand,  and  an  animated  heart,  be  hopeful  in  all  you 
do.  Hopefulness  is  a  quality  that  spreads  from  one 
to  another.  You  cannot  encourage  it  in  yourself 
without  calling  it  up  in  the  minds  of  your  young 
charge.  "  Let  us  hope  better  things."  "  By  and 
by  you  will  no  doubt  do  better ;"  and  "  I  will  be 
bound  for  it,  that  you  will  soon  make  fair  progress," 


70  ARE    YOU    PRAYERFUL, 

are  hopeful   and   encouraging  expressions   which 
you  will  do  well  frequently  to  make  use  of 

Be  not  dependent  on  the  attention  or  inattention, 
the  good  or  the  bad  conduct,  of  any  particular  sch  j- 
lar,  but  rather  look  at  the  whole  class.  Surely 
among  some  of  them  you  will  find  cause  for  hope- 
fulness and  joy.  If  you  love  them,  bear  with  them, 
and  go  on  hoping  to  the  end.  Remember  your 
hearts  are  open  to  God. 

And  every  thought  that  passes  there, 
Your  every  wish,  and  every  prayer, 
Is  read  distinctly  by  that  Eye, 
That  pierces  through  eternity. 

Never  suppose  for  one  moment,  that  in  doing 
anything  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of  his 
creatures,  you  are  labouring  alone ;  rather  take  it 
for  granted,  as  a  thing  certain  as  the  existence  of  the 
sun,  moon,  and  stars,  that  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
One  is  with  you.  He  "  from  whom  all  holy  de- 
sires, all  good  counsels,  and  all  just  works  do  pro- 
ceed ,"  He,  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  will  strengthen 
the  weakest  of  those  who  labour  in  his  fields  and 
vineyards.  Trust  in  Him  confidently,  for  "  he  that 
trusteth  in  the  Lord  shall  never  be  confounded." 

While  I  urge  on  you  a  trustful  spirit,  I  feel  no 
sympathy  with  that  confidence  which  springs  from 
conceit,  and  a  high  estimate  of  attainments  and 
ability.  On  this  point  let  me  be  understood.  It  is 
only  on  the  basis  of  a  christian  motive  and  object,  a 
diligent  application  of  your  powers,  and  an  antici- 


HOPEFUL,    AND   TRUSTFUL?  71 

pation  of  God's  blessing,  that  you  can  safely  rely. 
On  this  foundation  you  may  rest  with  implicit  con- 
fidence, and  on  any  other  confidence  will  be  mis- 
placed. 

I  forg-et  the  name  of  the  good  man,  who  says, 
"  a  little  faith  in  active  operation  will  enable  a  be- 
liever to  pass  through  great  troubles,"  nor  do  I  know 
whether  my  quotation  is  quite  correct ;  but,  at  all 
events,  w^e  may  conclude  that  faith,  which  is  a  be- 
lieving, relying,  trustful  state  of  mind,  is  as  likely 
to  be  useful  to  a  Sunday  school  teacher,  as  to  any 
one  else  in  the  world.  There  are  so  many  little 
discouragements  in  your  way,  in  making  your  sev- 
eral classes  what  you  would  have  them  be,  that  it 
Avould  be  well  for  you  to  call  to  mind  what  mighty 
things  faith  has  done  in  the  world  :  but  time  would 
fail  to  tell  of  "  Gedeon  and  of  Barak,  and  of  Samson, 
and  of  Jephtha ;  of  David  also,  and  Samuel,  and 
of  the  prophets :  who  through  faith  subdued  king- 
doms, wrought  righteousness,  obtained  promises, 
stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  quenched  the  violence 
of  fire,  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword,  out  of  weak- 
ness were  made  strong,  waxed  valiant  in  fight, 
turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens."  Heb, 
xi.  32—34. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  are  full  of  instances  setting 
forth  the  advantages  of  faith ;  and  Abel,  and  Enoch, 
and  Noah,  and  Abraham,  and  Sarah,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  and  Moses,  may  be  remembered  among  them. 
Now  and  then,  too,  we  meet  with  cases  in  common 


72  ARE   YOU   PRAYERFUL, 

life  of  a  trustful  kind,  that  we  ought  not  to  pass  by 
disregarded.  One  of  this  description  has  just 
reached  me  ;  and  as  it  is  suited  to  my  present  pur- 
pose, it  shall  here  be  related. 

A  married  couple,  who  were  in  service  together 
a  long  time  in  the  same  family,  had,  by  the  frugal 
carefulness  of  many  years,  saved  a  few  hundred 
pounds.  This  sum  they  placed  iu  the  hands  of  their 
master,  who  soon  after  came  to  ruin,  so  that,  all  at 
once,  they  were  deprived  of  their  situations,  and 
the  whole  of  their  property.  This  was  a  heavy 
trial,  and  the  husband  gave  way  to  despondency  ; 
but  his  wife  was  trustful,  and  bore  up  bravely  under 
her  afflictions. 

A  strong  man  that  is  faint-hearted  is  weak,  while 
a  weak  woman  who  is  trustful  is  strong.  What- 
ever you  do,  encourage  a  confidence  in  God's 
goodness, — 

A  sense  of  His  goodness,  forgiveness,  and  love, 
Sheds  a  sun-beam  around  us  wherever  we  move ; 
Makes  the  crooked  paths  straight  that  occasion  our  woe, 
And  breaks  off  the  points  of  the  thorns  as  we  go. 

The  poor  woman  encouraged  her  husband  to 
employ  himself  as  a  gardener,  while  she  took  in 
washing,  telling  him  that  they  should  be  sure  to 
succeed :  but  though  she  was  trustful  herself,  she 
could  not  make  her  husband  so  ;  his  heart  sank 
within  him  ;  he  became  indisposed  and  took  to  his 
bed. 

Here  was  a  fresh  trouble :  but  the  trustful  spirit 


HOPEFUL,  AND  TRUSTFUI,  ?  73 

is  not  easily  broken ;  steady  to  her  purpose,  the 
poor  woman  set  to  work,  and  though  her  husband 
was  bedridden  for  j^-ears,  she  supported  him  through 
all  his  sickness,  and  when  he  died,  buried  him, 
without  asking  assistance  from  any  one.  A  short 
time  ago  she  was  herself  called  away  from  the 
world,  but  not  before  she  had,  with  her  own  hands, 
paid  enough  to  the  undertaker  to  meet  the  expenses 
of  her  funeral ;  leaving  a  striking  example  how  a 
trustful  spirit  strengthened  a  weak  woman  to  endure 
trials,  and  overcome  difficulties,  which  broke  a. 
strong  man's  heart. 

If,  when  you  read  these  remarks,  you  should, 
feel  any  discouragement  in  your  Sunday  school 
efforts  to  do  good,  call  to  mind  the  steadiness,  the 
courage,  and  the  trustfulness  of  the  poor  woman 
of  whom  I  have  spoken,  and  be  not  outdone  by 
tier.  Be  prayerful,  be  hopeful,  and  especially  be 
trustful. 

Twenty  times  over  have  I  read  that  striking  ex- 
hortation of  the  Most  High  to  his  servant  Joshua, 
when  he  was  about  to  pass  the  river  Jordan.  The 
following  words  must  have  been  as  oil  to  his  joints, 
and  marrow  to  his  bones :  "  Arise,  go  over  this 
Jordan.  As  I  was  with  Moses,  so  I  will  be  with 
thee  :  I  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.  Thou 
shalt  have  good  success.  Have  not  I  commanded 
thee  ?  Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage ;  be  not 
afraid,  neither  be  thou  dismayed :  for  the  Lord  thy, 
God  is  with  thee  whithersoever  thou  goest." 
7 


n 

We  read  that  Holy  Scripture  is  profitable  for 
doctrme,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction 
in  righteousness ;"  and  often  it  is  abundantly  pro- 
fitable in  consolation  and  encouragement.  What 
think  you,  then,  of  choosing  out  some  encourag- 
ing passage  in  God's  holy  word,  applying  it  to 
yourselves  unth  regard  to  your  Sunday  school  du- 
ties ;  such,  for  instance,  as  that  in  the  41st  chapter 
of  Isaiah :  '•'  Fear  thou  not ;  for  I  am  with  thee  : 
be  not  dismayed ;  for  I  am  thy  God :  I  will 
strengthen  thee :  yea,  I  will  help  thee ;  yea,  I  will 
uphjold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteous- 


A  crust  of  bread  and  a  draught  of  water  revives 
the  strength  of  the  way-vrorn  traveller  ;  and  in  like 
manner  often  a  text  of  scripture  refreshes  the  spirit 
of  a  heaven-bound  pilgrim.  Hoping  and  trusting 
as  I  do  that  you  are  not  only  on  your  way  to  the 
heavenly  city,  but  anxious  to  help  on  your  scho- 
lars in  their  way  there  also,  so  I  have  ventured  to 
drop  the  homely  hint  which  I  have  just  given  you. 

Though  among  the  many  whose  pens  are  occa- 
sionally employed  to  instruct  and  encourage  you, 
there  may  be  a  great  diversity  of  manner  and  mat- 
ter, yet  I  trust  you  will  find  among  them  a  unity  of 
purpose :  they  are  all  anxious  to  do  you  good,  and 
to  make  you  more  useful  as  Sunday  school  teach- 
ers. One  gives  you  a  history  of  education ;  a  se- 
cond a  relation  of  Sunday  schools  from  their  com- 
mencement ;  a  third  points  out  the  best  means  of  cul- 


HOPEFUL.  AND  TRUSTFUL?  75 

tivating^  your  intellects  ;  a  fourth  la^'S  down  for  you 
practical  rules  drawn  from  experience  :  a  fifth  fur- 
nishes you  Avith  a  list  of  profitable  questions  :  a 
sixth  exposes  the  defects,  or  enumerates  the  advan- 
tages of  Sunday  school  teaching ;  a  seventh  pre- 
sents you  with  interesting  reminiscences  of  Sunday 
schools ;  and  Ephraim  Holding,  taking  the  hum- 
blest path  of  all,  seeks,  by  his  plain  and  simple 
mottos,  and  his  homely  hints,  to  animate  you  in 
your  philanthropic  and  christian  course.  Get  good, 
then,  if  possible,  from  all  these  rills  of  instruction  ; 
but  especially  drink  deep  at  the  pure  fountain  of  the 
word  of  God,  with  a  prayerful,  hopeful,  and  trust- 
ful spirit,  and  you  will  be  made  a  blessing  to  your 
youthful  charge. 


VIII. 

ARE  YOU  PATIENT  AXD  PERSEVERING  1 

Did  you  ever  notice  an  angler,  who  had  been  for 
hours  standing  or  sitting  under  an  old  tree  in  a  quiet 
nook  of  the  brook,  without  ever  so  much  as  catch- 
ing one  fish  1  There  he  stands,  and  there  he  will 
stand  by  the  hour,  though  he  may  hardly  get  so 
much  as  a  single  nibble  to  afford  him  encourage- 
ment !     There  comes  on  a  drizzle,  and  everything 


76  ARE   YOU   PATIENT   AND   PERSEVERING  ? 

around  him  is  dark  and  uncomfortable  ;  no  matter 
— there  he  stands.  The  drizzle  turns  into  a  shower, 
and  he  is  half  drenched  to  the  skin  ;  but  neither  the 
drizzle  nor  the  showe^  drives  him  from  the  brook : 
twice  has  his  hair  line  been  entangled  among  the 
stiif  reeds  and  broken ;  three  times  has  his  hook 
caught  the  roots  beneath  the  stream  ;  and  once  has 
his  bait  been  carried  off  by  the  finny  tribe,  to  say 
nothing  of  his  having  dropt  his  fishing-rod,  with 
the  spliced-top  and  bamboo-butt,  into  the  brook ; 
but  these  accidents  he  regards  not.  The  very  im- 
age of  patience,  and  steady  to  his  purpose,  he  still 
keeps  his  tranquil  eye  fixed  on  the  soft  gliding  or 
rippling  waters.  It  is  not,  perhaps,  till  near  the 
close  of  the  day  that  he  succeeds  ;  then,  all  at  once, 
his  cork-float  is  drawn  suddenly  under  the  surface 
of  the  stream,  and  he  pulls  out  a  fish  weighing  a 
full  pound. 

Did  you  ever  stand  on  a  hill  ?  or  under  cover  of 
a  wood  ?  or  beside  a  high  hedge  and  deep  ditch,  when 
the  hunters  passed  near  you,  engaged  in  a  fox 
chase?  You  may  not  have  gazed  on  such  a  scene, 
and  therefore  I  will  describe  it  to  you. 

First  comes  the  fox,  drenched  with  water,  dab- 
bled and  bespattered  with  dirt,  and  almost  exhausted. 
He  has  run  many  miles  over  the  meadows  and  the 
moor,  forced  his  way  through  hedges  and  copses, 
and  swam  across  rivulets,  brooks,  and  ponds.  Close 
at  his  heels,  with  outstretched  neck  and  eager  eyes, 
runs  a  hound,  straining  his  strength  to  the  utmost. 


ARE    YOU    PATIENT    AND    PERSEVERING?  77 

At  a  little  distance  other  dogs  hold  on  the  hot  pur- 
suit, while  the  distant  hills  echo  back  the  voice  of 
the  hounds,  the  cheering  of  the  hunters,  and  the 
blast  of  the  huntsman's  bugle.  Horsemen,  one  after 
another,  appear  in  sight,  urging  on  their  foaming 
steeds.  The  spotted  hounds  ;  the  grey,  black,  and 
bay  horses  ;  the  red-coated  hunters,  are  all  plung- 
ing forwards.  Dogs,  steeds,  and  men  seem  ani- 
mated with  one  spirit ;  on  they  go,  and  on  they  will 
go,  in  spite  of  accidents  and  impediments.  Here  a 
hound  is  bemired  in  a  slough — there  a  horse  rolls 
down  a  bank,  or  fails  heavily  over  a  broken  gate — 
yonder  a  rider  is  thrown !  his  limbs  or  his  neck 
may  be  broken ;  no  matter  to  the  rest !  Hark  for- 
ward !  is  the  cry,  and  the  excited  throng  plunge  on 
with  all  the  energy  of  body,  soul  and  spirit,  thrown 
into  the  chase.  Nothing  long  together  impedes 
their  progress ;  nothing  damps  their  spirit ;  no- 
thing draws  them  aside  from  the  object  they  havo 
in  view  ;  they  have  made  up  their  minds  to  be  in 
at  the  death  of  the  fox,  and  at  the  death  of  the  fox 
in  they  will  be.  The  first  sportsman  who  comes  up, 
when  the  game  is  caught,  jumps  from  his  horse, 
lashes  his  way  through  the  hounds,  and  taking  out 
his  knife  cuts  off  the  tail  or  brush  of  the  fox,  as  a 
trophy  of  his  boldness,  his  perseverance,  and  his 
success. 

Ephraim  Holding  is  neither  angler  nor  hunter  ; 
but  that  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not  look  about 
him  in  the  world,  carefully  observing  the  manners 
7* 


78  ARE   YOU   PATIENT   AND    TERSEVERING  ? 

and  customs  of  those  around  him,  and  drawing  from 
them,  when  he  can,  an  apt  illustration  or  lesson  of 
instruction. 

Now  look  for  a  moment  on  the  objects  which 
have  called  forth  this  enduring  patience  on  the  part 
of  the  angler,  and  this  untiring  perseverance  on  the 
part  of  the  hunter,  a  few  hours'  sport — a  fish 
weighing  a  pound,  and  the  tail  of  a  fox!  Why  the 
temporal  and  eternal  welfare  of  only  one  Sunday 
scholar  is  worth  more  than  the  sport  of  years — all 
the  foxes  that  ever  ran  on  the  ground,  and  all  the 
fish  that  ever  swam  in  the  water.  Well  may  I  be 
excused,  then,  in  urging  on  you  the  inquiry — Are 
you  patient  and  persevering  1  Well,  then,  may  1 
be  allowed  to  say,  be  not  outdone  by  the  hunter  and 
the  angler. 

Willingly  would  I  suppose  that  with  the  best 
of  all  motives  you  became  Sunday  school  teachers, 
and  that  these  best  of  all  motives  are  now  urging 
you  on  in  the  conscientious  discharge  of  the  duties 
you  have  undertaken ;  but  the  experience  of  age, 
and  some  knowledge  of  the  human  heart,  tells  me 
it  is  much  more  likely  that  your  motives  were 
mixed  with  infirmity.  Where  one  of  you,  with  a 
single  eye  to  God's  glory,  and  the  eternal  welfare 
of  your  scholars,  commenced  your  teaching  career, 
m  all  probability,  ten  of  you  mingled  with  these 
motives  others  of  a  less  praiseworthy  kind.  Some 
of  you  became  teachers  because  you  were  asked  to 
do  so — because  others  whom  you  knew  were  teach- 


ARE   YOU   PATIENT   AND    PERSEVERING?  79 

ers  before  you— because  if  you  did  so,  many  of 
your  friends  would  respect  you — because  you 
thought  that  you  should  like  it,  or  because  you  con- 
sidered it  to  be  your  duty.  But  even  supposing 
that  love  and  gratitude  for  the  Redeemer,  and  un- 
feigned desire  for  the  spiritual  good  of  your  young 
charge,  were  the  main  spring  of  your  actions,  it  is 
none  the  less  necessary  that  you  should  be  warned, 
and  assisted,  and  encouraged,  and  urged  onwards. 
Good  motives  often  change  their  character :  they  are 
strong  and  weak,  awake  or  asleep,  as  the  case  may 
be.  ■  At  one  time  they  fly  like  an  eagle  ;  at  another 
they  creep  like  a  tortoise.  At  one  time  they  are 
all  life  and  animation  ;  at  another  they  are  compara- 
tively dead. 

Love  often  hangs  her  head,  and  sings 

A  faint  and  languid  lay ; 
And  faith  and  duty  droop  their  wings, 

And  loiter  on  their  way. 

We  all  require  to  be  told  of  things  which  we 
already  know ;  to  be  reminded  of  things  which 
we  have  not  forgotten,  and,  therefore,  the  hints 
of  Ephraim  Holding  may  not  be  useless.  You 
may  be  in  the  right  road,  but  not  going  on  at  the 
right  pace — you  may  be  quick  in  your  plans,  and 
slow  in  their  performance — your  zeal  may  be  more 
striking  than  your  knowledge  and  judgment ;  and 
you  may  be  diligent  without  being  patient;  and 
patient  without  being  persevering. 

I  want  the  pictures  that  I  have  drawn  of  the 


80  ARE    YOU    PATIENT    AND    PERSEVERING? 

patient  angler  and  the  persevering  hunter  to  be  im- 
pressed on  your  remembrance :  often  have  I  found 
illustrations  of  a  striking  kind  useful  to  myself,  and 
they  may  be  equally  so  to  you.  Holy  scripture 
abounds  in  pictures.  Who  can  look  on  the  follow 
ing  one,  without  hating  sloth  ?  "I  went  by  the 
field  of  the  slothful,  and  by  the  vineyard  of  the  man 
void  of  understanding ;  and,  io,  it  was  all  grown 
over  with  thorns,  and  nettles  had  covered  the  face 
thereof,  and  the  stone  wall  thereof  was  broken 
down.  Then  I  saw  and  considered  it  well :  I 
looked  upon  it,  and  received  instruction.  Yet  a 
little  sleep,  a  little  slumber,  a  little  folding  of  the 
hands  to  sleep :  so  shall  thy  poverty  come  as  one 
that  travelleth,  and  thy  want  as  an  armed  man." — 
Prov.  xxiv.  30—34. 

Who  can  gaze  on  the  following  portrait  of  the 
drunkard,  without  shrinking  at  the  thought  of  ex- 
cess ?  "  Who  hath  woe  ?  who  hath  sorrow  ?  who 
hath  contentions  1  who  hath  babbling  ?  who  hath 
wounds  without  cause  ?  who  hath  redness  of  eyes  ? 
They  that  tarry  long  at  the  wine  ;  they  that  go  to 
seek  mixed  wine.  Look  not  thou  upon  the  wine 
when  it  is  red,  when  it  giveth  his  colour  in  the  cup, 
when  it  moveth  itself  aright.  At  last  it  biteth  like 
a  serpent,  and  stingeth  like  an  adder."  Prov.  xxiii. 
29—30. 

As  Sunday  school  teachers  you  are  not  very 
likely  to  be  slothful,  and  still  less  likely  to  indulge 
in  drinking  j  but  these  lively  sketches  that  we  find 


ARE   YOU   PATIENT   AND   PERSEVERING?  81 

in  God's  holy  word  may  be  useful  to  us  all,  in 
deepening  our  convictions,  and  increasing  our  ab- 
horrence against  every  sin.  These  pictures  of  the 
slothful  man,  with  his  weed-begrown  field  and 
vineyard,  poverty  coming  upon  him  suddenly,  and 
wants  springing  upon  him  as  an  armed  man ! 
and  of  the  red-eyed  drunkard,  wo-be-gone  and 
sorrowful,  bitten  as  with  a  serpent,  and  stung  as 
with  an  adder,  are  frightful,  but  they  are  influen- 
tial ;  and  youth,  manhood,  and  age,  will  do  well  to 
regard  them. 

The  figures  of  the  angler  and  the  hunter  are 
presented  to  you,  to  bring  an  honest  blush  into 
your  faces,  if,  with  a  glorious  object  in  view,  you 
have  so  little  virtue,  courage,  patience,  and  perse- 
verence,  as  to  be  outdone  by  those  who  have  only 
such  a  poor  poverty-stricken  recompence  before 
them.  I  want  to  know,  that,  not  as  I  once  said — 
"  when  you  feel  strong ;  when  your  school  pros- 
pers, and  your  scholars  are  grateful ;  when  you 
are  listening  to  some  eloquent  speech,  or  reading 
some  talented  essay  wherein  Sunday  school  teach- 
ers are  spoken  well  of;  when  the  sun  shines  on 
your  heads  and  in  your  hearts ;  but  rather  in  the 
dull,  dark,  dabbling  day,  and  in  the  hour  of  dis- 
appointment and  despondency" — I  want  to  know 
that  then,  in  that  dark  hour,  each  of  you  has  suffi- 
cient zeal,  determination,  principle,  and  piety,  to 
''  look  upwards  and  go  onwards,"  and  depending 
on  heavenly  aid  to  say,  I  have  engaged  myself  in 


82  ARE   YOU   PATIENT   AND   PERSEVEEING  ? 

a  good  cause,  and  on  I  will  go.  I  have  set  my 
heart  on  doing  good  to  my  class,  and  with  God's 
help  I  will  succeed !  Patience  and  perseverance 
will  work  wonders.  Are  you^  then,  'patient^  and 
are  you  j^er severing  ? 

When  we  see  mankind  busily  engaged  in  pro- 
curing  the  bits  and  drops  that  support  them,  or  the 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  life,  we  find  that  among 
them  patience  and  perseverance  are  in  constant 
operation.  Some  traverse  the  trackless  deep,  con- 
tending with  adverse  winds,  calms,  and  storms — 
some  make  the  woods  resound  with  the  sturdy 
strokes  of  their  axes,  as  the  giant  trees  bow  down 
before  them — some  till  the  ground,  ploughing  and 
sowing,  and  gathering  in  the  harvest  of  their  toil — 
some  hunt  the  chamois  on  the  Alps  ;  the  bison  on 
the  prairie  ;  and  the  martin,  the  fox,  and  the  beaver 
in  the  snow-clad  wilderness  of  the  north  for  the 
skins  that  cover  them — some  labour  in  mines,  tear- 
ing from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  the  various  metals 
that  are  treasured  there — some  pursue  the  wander- 
ing whale  amid  the  frowning  icebergs  of  Hudson's 
or  Baffin's  bay,  or  cast  their  lengthy  lines  and 
baited  hooks  into  the  deep  waters  of  the  ocean — 
some  labour  in  the  crowded  factory,  the  busy  mill, 
or  the  fiery  forge  ;  but  enduring  patience,  and  un- 
tiring perseverance,  are  necessary  in  all  to  accom- 
plish the  objects  that  are  before  them.  Consider, 
then,  shall  the  mariner,  the  woodman,  the  farmer, 
the  hunter,  the  miner,  the  whaler,  and  the  artizan. 


ARE   YOU    PATIENT   AND    PERSEVERING?  83 

all  be  patient  and  persevering,  and  the  Sunday 
school  teacher  alone  flag  and  despond  in  the  path 
of  duty  ?  Never  !  never  !  Your  object,  your 
principles,  yea,  all  that  is  within  you,  I  trust  will 
cry  out  against  such  a  state  of  things.  You  have 
set  your  hands  to  the  plough  in  a  glorious  field ; 
look  not  behind  you.  "  Endure  hardness  as  good 
soldiers  of  Christ ;"  and  be  not  ranked  with  the 
sons  of  Ephraim,  who  "  turned  back  in  the  day  of 
battle." 

How  abundant  are  the  lessons  of  patience  and 
perseverance  with  which  we  are  surrounded  !  The 
industrious  ant  appears  always  to  be  busy,  continu- 
ally and  untiringly  occupied.  The  spider  dili- 
gently weaves  his  web,  and  when  it  is  woven,  as  as- 
siduously watches  for  his  prey.  The  bee  roves 
from  flower  to  flower,  gathering  through  the  live- 
long day,  without  intermission,  his  honied  sweets  : 
the  bird  labours  incessantly  to  build  her  nest,  and 
then  tends  with  unwearied  care  her  eggs  and  cal- 

DO 

low-brood : — so  that  if  you  lack  patience,  and  if 
you  are  not  persevering,  the  ant  beneath  your  feet, 
and  the  bird  above  your  head,  the  spider  in  his  web. 
and  the  bee  on  the  wing,  are  all  monitors  to  reprove 
you.  A  want  of  patience  and  perseverance  will 
sink  you  in  your  own  estimation  and  in  that  of 
others,  while  it  will  effectually  prevent  your  being 
useful,  and  perhaps  spread  around  the  influence  of 
a  bad  example. 

Now  reflect  a  moment  on  the  varied  instances  of 


84  ARE    YOU    PATIENT    AND    PERSEVERING? 

patience  and  perseverance  that  I  have  laid  before 
you ;  they  will  at  least  show  that  the  qualities 
urged  on  your  consideration  are  common  through- 
out the  creation  ;  and  that  though  we  may  reason- 
ably expect  to  attain  our  objects  with  them,  we  can- 
not reasonably  expect  to  attain  our  objects  without 
them.  Gird  up,  then,  the  loins  of  your  minds,  and 
resolve  meekly  to  sustain,  and  energetically  to  over- 
come, the  difficulties  in  your  Sunday  school  path. 
Do  good  to  your  scholars  and  yourselves,  by  a  dili- 
gent attention  to  your  common  duties  ;  and  in  holy 
things  "  be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  them  who 
through  faith  and  patience  inherit  the  promises." 

I  can  fancy  that  I  see  you  on  the  first  day  of  the 
month,  taking  up  the  Sunday  School  Teachers' 
Magazine  with  its  coloured  covering  and  uncut 
leaves.  You  give  a  glance  at  the  cover,  and  then 
turn  over  the  leaf  to  read  the  table  of  contents. 
Here  you  have  encouragement,  reminiscences,  let- 
ters, reviews,  intelligence,  lectures,  plans  for  teach- 
ing, accounts  of  schools,  poetry,  or  other  things  as 
the  case  may  be,  and  then  comes,  "  Communications 
have  been  received  from" — under  which  head  you 
often  find  names  and  initials  of  those  whom  you 
well  know,  and  whom  you  delight  to  honor. 

After  a  little  dipping  here  and  there  into  the 
book,  a  little  picking  and  choosing,  not  so  much  to 
read  the  several  articles  as  to  know  what  they  are 
about,  and  what  you  have  before  you  to  read  ;  after 
dotting  about  from   one  page  to  another,  at  last 


ARE   you    PATIENT   AND   PERSEVERING?  85 

comes  the  inquiry,  "  What  has  Ephraim  Holding 
to  say,  this  month  ?  He  is  rather  an  odd  old  gen- 
tleman ;  for  he  never  goes  into  the  real  business  of 
Sunday  schools,  but  confines  himself  to  general  re- 
marks, hints,  and  encouraging  observations.  Who- 
ever he  is,  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  has  a  kind  heart ; 
but  why  does  he  not  lay  down  some  express  rules 
for  us  that  would  help  us  along,  and  our  scholars 
too  ?" 

For  this  plain  reason,  my  young  friends ;  you 
have  around  you  christian-hearted  and  talented 
men,  interested  in  your  success,  who  know  much 
more  than  I  do  of  the  practical  working  of  Sunday 
schools,  and  are  much  better  qualified  than  I  am  to 
furnish  you  with  rules  for  your  guidance.  My 
undertaking  and  object  is  simply  to  supply  you 
with  good  reasons  for  patiently  discharging  your 
duty,  and  to  call  forth  your  best  energies  in  perse- 
veringly  pursuing  the  benevolent  and  honourable 
course  in  which  you  are  engaged. 

I  want  you,  then,  to  be  patient  and  persevering. 
One  proof  of  your  patience  and  perseverance  I 
particularly  require  ;  it  is  this,  that  while  you  get 
all  the  good  that  is  possible  from  better  sources  of 
advice  and  instruction,  you  will  continue  patiently 
and  perseveringly  to  read,  and  turn  to  advantage 
when  you  can,  the  homely  hints  of  your  old 
friend. 


IX 

DO  YOU  ABHOR  DECEIT  'i 

Think  not  that  I  ask  this  under  an  impression 
that  you  do  not  disapprove  of  deceit !  I  take  it  for 
granted  that  you  must  disapprove  of  it ;  but  my 
question  is  put  to  ascertain  whether  your  disappro- 
val amounts  to  an  absolute  abhorrence  of  it  ?  Do 
you  hate  it  with  a  perfect  hatred  ?  If  you  do  not, 
it  may  be  practised  under  your  eye  without  your 
perceiving  it ;  but  if  you  do,  you  will  be  quick  to 
discover  it  in  your  scholars,  and  thereby  be  able, 
perhaps,  to  render  them  an  invaluable  service,  by 
taking  measures  for  its  exposure  and  its  cure. 

In  the  word  of  God,  truth  is  so  highly  extolled, 
and  deceit  and  hypocrisy  so  deeply  reprobated,  that 
I  may  well  be  pardoned  if,  in  my  desire  to  quicken 
your  perceptions  of  deceit,  I  relate  to  you  some  in- 
stances of  it  not  connected  with  Sunday  schools. 
The  eye  of  a  Sunday  school  teacher  should  be  quick 
to  detect  deceit  and  falsehood,  and  he  should  be  ear- 
nest in  his  endeavour  to  root  it  out  of  the  youthful 
hearts  around  him. 

If  we  look  into  the  world  at  large,  \'  o  shall  find 
that  deceit  is  provided  with  masks  of  all  complex- 
ions, and  with  clothes  of  all  fashions  ;  yet,  with  all 


DO    you   ABHOR,    DECEIT?  87 

its  cunning  and  all  its  devices,  common  honesty  is 
more  than  a  match  for  it :  it  is  swift,  but  integrity- 
overtakes  it ;  it  is  strong,  but  truth  overcomes  it. 
"  Bread  of  deceit  is  sweet  to  a  man,  but  afterwards 
his  mouth  is  filled  with  gravel."     Pro  v.  xx.  17. 

In  spite  of  the  temporary  advantages  obtained  by 
crooked  ways,  it  is  a  truth  which  cannot  be  gain- 
sayed,  that  the  hypocrite  deceives  no  one  so  much 
as  himself  Hour  after  hour  and  year  after  year, 
he  may  go  on  strong  in  the  delusion,  that  he  is  over- 
reaching those  around  him,  while  all  the  while  he 
himself  is  the  greatest  sufferer  from  his  own  deceit. 
The  beggar  who  ties  up  his  leg  to  extort  charity, 
robs  himself  of  the  honest  shilling  he  might  procure 
by  industry,  for  the  discreditable  sixpence  his  deceit 
and  idleness  obtain.  Take  every  opportunity  of 
showing  your  scholars  the  folly  as  well  as  the  sin 
of  deceitful  ways,  and  of  encouraging  them  in  open- 
hearted  frankness  and  truth.  Never  pass  over  an 
excuse  for  late  attendance,  inattention,  or  any  other 
error  that  is  founded  in  falsehood.  Let  it  be  known 
at  once  that  you  see  through  the  deceit,  and  encour- 
age your  scholars,  by  forbearance  and  kindness,  to 
tell  the  real  cause  of  their  neglect.  Uprightness 
and  truth  are  beautiful  things — pearls  of  inestima- 
ble value !  wear  them  constantly  in  your  own  bo- 
soms, and  recommend  them  to  all  who  are  under 
your  care. 

I  have  known  young  people  who  were  so  accus- 
tomed to  deceit  that  they  were  hardly  expected  to 


88  DO   YOU   ABHOR    DECEIT? 

act  uprightly.  There  was  always  something  nid- 
den,  kept  back,  or  misrepresented  by  them.  What 
a  crooked  course  did  they  pursue,  and  how  unlovely 
were  their  lives ! 

I  remember  a  singular  case  of  deceit  in  a  young 
girl,  a  mere  child,  who  for  several  days  kept  a 
whole  neighbourhood  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm. 
She  had  been  received  into  the  house  where  she 
lived,  to  render  what  assistance  she  could  as  a  ser- 
vant. One  day  a  pane  of  glass  was  fractured  in 
the  kitchen  window,  and  soon  after  this  other  panes 
were  broken  in  rapid  succession,  in  a  most  unac- 
countable manner,  during  which  time  the  young 
girl  wTnt  about  whining  and  crying  as  if  she  were 
half  frightened  out  of  her  wits. 

A  report  soon  ran  abroad  of  the  strange  things 
which  were  taking  place  at  the  house,  and  a  con- 
course of  people  assembled,  but  the  breaking  of  the 
glass  went  on  as  before.  Though  a  sheet  was 
spread  all  over  the  outside  of  the  kitchen  window, 
it  had  no  effect  in  preventing  the  mischief— down 
came  the  jingling  glass  as  fast  as  ever  ;  stones  fell 
among  the  spectators,  and  hot  coals  were  dashed 
against  the  kitchen  ceiling.  A  constable  was  called 
in,  the  neighbourhood  was  inspected,  and  people  set 
to  watch,  but  all  in  vain. 

When  the  young  girl  went  into  the  cellar  at  night 
for  coals,  brick  ends  were  thrown  against  the  kitchen 
door;  and  when  she  went  up  bed,  she  presently 
came  running  down  stairs  again  to  say  that  six  or 


DO    YOU    ABHOR    DECEIT 


89 


eight  squares  of  glass  had  been  just  broken  in  the 
window  of  her  bedroom.  For  several  days  these 
strange  occurrences  went  on,  without  any  one  being 
able  to  throw  a  light  on  the  matter. 

At  length  it  was  observed  that  the  lead  of  the 
broken  windows  was  bent  outwards,  as  though  the 
mischief  had  been  done  from  the  inside  of  the  house. 
A  watch  was  then  set  inside,  and  the  young  girl 
was  seen,  while  the  people,  with  their  backs  towards 
her,  gazed  at  the  window,  to  take  coals  from  the  fire, 
and  fling  them  up  against  the  ceiling.  She  was 
directly  led  off  to  prison,  when  the  fear  of  punish- 
ment induced  her  to  confess  the  wicked  and  deceit- 
ful part  she  had  acted. 

By  way  of  revenge  for  some  real  or  supposed 
unkindness  on  the  part  of  her  mistress,  this  deceitful 
girl  had  determined  to  do  all  the  mischief  she  could. 
She  had  secreted  stones  in  the  house  to  effect  her 
purpose.  She  had  watched  her  opportunities  when 
she  was  not  seen,  to  demolish  the  windows,  and  to 
spread  confusion  around.  She  had  crept  through 
the  cellar  vi^ndow  at  night  to  throw  brick  ends  at 
the  door ;  and  she  had  broken  the  attic  windows 
with  a  stone  bottle,  afterwards  running  down  stairs 
apparently  affrighted  at  the  destruction  that  was 
taking  place. 

This  poor  girl  was  very  ignorant ;  she  had  not 
had  not  the  benefit  of  a  Sunday  school  education. 
Think,  then,  for  a  moment,  of  the  position  you  oc- 
cupy. If  by  your  care  and  kind  attention  to  the 
8* 


90  DO   YOU   ABHOR   DECEIT? 

Sabbath  duties  undertaken  by  you,  one  young  per- 
son can  be  kept  from  such  a  wicked  and  deceitful 
course  as  that  I  have  described,  your  time  will  not 
be  lost,  your  patience  and  perseverance  will  not 
have  been  in  vain.  Set  the  highest  example  before 
yourselves  and  your  scholars,  even  the  Saviour  of 
sinners,  for  he  had  no  guile  in  him,  "  neither  was 
any  deceit  in  his  mouth." 

Among  the  different  kinds  of  deceit  and  imposture 
which  prevail,  that  of  affecting  to  be  afflicted  with 
disease  is  so  fearful  an  impiety,  that  one  might 
wonder  how  it  is  that  he  who  counterfeits  lameness, 
or  rolls  the  balls  of  his  eyes  to  affect  blindness,  is 
not  afraid  of  the  lightning  flash  of  divine  wrath 
as  a  punishment  for  his  presumption  and  hypocrisy. 

I  am  about  to  describe  a  case  of  this  kind  to  which 
I  was  an  eye-witness  some  years  ago,  when  spend- 
ing a  week  or  two  at  a  farmhouse  in  Hertfordshire. 
While  sitting  with  a  few  friends  in  the  parlour,  a 
lady,  one  of  the  visitors,  came  in,  and  requested  me 
to  see  a  servant  who  had  just  called  in,  said  to  be 
afflicted  with  St.  Vitus's  dance. 

Now  among  the  manifold  infirmites  to  which 
human  beings  are  subject  in  this  world  of  sin  and 
sorrow,  the  disease  commonly  called  St.  Vitus's 
dance  is  by  no  means  the  lightest.  Often  times  the 
patient  is  affected  with  continual  twitches  and  con- 
tortions that  are  distressing  even  to  witness. 

Well,  as  I  said,  the  lady  requested  me  to  see  the 
servant,  assigning  as  a  reason  that  she  strongly  sus- 


DO   YOU   ABHOR    DECEIT  ?  91 

peeled  her  to  be  an  impostor.  Now,  thinking  that 
the  poor  girl,  if  she  were  really  afflicted,  had  quite 
enough  to  endure,  without  any  addition  in  the  way 
of  unjust  accusation,  I  endeavoured  to  excuse  my- 
self; but  the  lady  was  urgent,  and  strengthened  her 
case  of  suspicion  by  relating  so  many  little  subter- 
fuges on  the  part  of  the  girl,  that,  at  last,  I  under- 
took the  case,  determined  to  act  with  caution  and 
kindness.  The  servant  had  left  at  least  half  a  do- 
zen places  of  service  on  account  of  her  affliction,  so 
that  for  a  long  time  she  lived  without  work,  on  a 
weekly  sum  allowed  her  by  the  parish. 

I  found  her  to  be  a  stout  and  apparently  healthy 
young  woman,  only  that  her  right  hand  was  in 
violent  and  continual  motion.  After  asking  her  a 
few  general  questions,  I  took  hold  of  her  hand,  en- 
deavouring to  keep  it  quiet,  when,  in  a  moment,  the 
action  was  transferred  to  the  elbow.  This  called 
forth  my  suspicions.  I  then,  holding  her  wrist 
with  my  left  hand,  grasped  the  arm  above  the  elbow 
with  my  right,  when  directly  an  evident  effort  was 
made  to  move  the  joint  of  the  shoulder.  Had  a 
doubt  then  remained  on  my  mind  as  to  her  being 
an  impostor,  it  was  soon  removed  by  the  girl  her- 
self, for,  finding  the  movement  of  her  arm  arrested, 
she,  forgetting  herself,  made  a  half  movement  with 
the  other  hand  to  set  herself  at  liberty. 

Though  fully  convinced  that  she  was  a  deceiver, 
I  kept  my  discovery  to  myself,  and  asked  her  if 
ever  she  had  been  bled  ?     With  some  degfree  of 


Q2  DO    YOU    ABHOR    DECEIT? 

ajarm,  she  replied  "  No  !"  and  said  that  the  pari** 
doctor  thought  it  not.  proper.  Her  alarm  at  tht 
thought  of  being  bled  was  not  lost  upon  me :  I  had 
now  made  two  important  discoveries  ;  the  one  that 
she  was  a  deceiver,  the  other  that  she  had  a  fear  of 
the  operation  of  bleeding. 

A  little  insight  into  character  gives  us  great 
advantage  in  going  through  the  world,  and  I  found 
it  to  be  so  in  the  occurrence  I  am  relating.  "  Young 
woman,"  said  I,  "  your  case  is  a  bad  one,  but  I 
hope  and  trust  it  is  not  beyond  remedy.  Then, 
turning  to  the  lady  of  the  house,  I  requested  her 
instantly  to  remove  the  patient  into  a  back  room, 
and  to  lose  no  time  in  procuring  a  wash-hand  basin, 
linen  rag,  and  bandages.  With  consternation  in  her 
face,  the  young  woman  retired. 

Possibly  you  may  think  that  I  acted  a  some- 
what hard-hearted  if  not  a  dangerous  part.  It  is 
trtr  that  I  doubted  not  the  girl  believed  me  to  be  a 
doctor,  and  I  took  no  pains  to  undeceive  her  ;  it  is 
true  also,  that  serious  consequences  have  often  oc- 
curred from  sudden  fright ;  but  then  remember,  the 
sin  she  was  committing  was  a  sad  one  ;  it  had 
been  practised  for  years,  and  called  aloud  for  ex- 
posure ;  and  I  had  full  opportunity  to  exercise  my 
judgment  as  to  the  effects  which  her  fear  had  upon 
lier. 

Proceeding  to  the  back  parlour,  I  found  all  things 
in  readiness ;  the  servant  girl  was  standing  with 
her  hand  in  motion  as  before.     Binding  up  the  arm 


DO   YOU   ABHOR   DECEIT?  93 

of  my  pale-faced  patient,  and  placing  it  over  the 
wash-hand  bason,  I  took  out  my  pen-knife,  not  hav- 
ing a  lancet,  and  held  it  so  that  she  could  only  see 
the  point  of  it.  I  then  looked  in  her  face  to  read,  if 
I  could,  what  was  passing  in  her  mind. 

Unhappy  girl !  She  had  spread  her  net  of  de- 
ceit, and  had  fallen  into  her  own  toils  !  What  poor 
creatures  we  are  when  we  lose  the  support  of  an  up- 
right intention  and  a  good  conscience !  What  mise- 
rable boggling  and  shuffling  we  are  compelled  to 
resort  to,  when  we  try  to  pass  off  wrong  for  right, 
and  evil  for  good. 

Just  as  I  had  pointed  to  the  full  vein  in  the  poor 
girl's  arm,  I  gave  a  start,  and  then,  hastily  putting 
my  fingers  on  her  pulse,  observed  it  appeared  to  me 
that  the  attack  was  about  to  subside,  and  that  I  would 
on  no  account  have  recourse  to  bleeding  if  it  could 
be  avoided.  Recommending  the  young  woman  to 
keep  herself  quiet  for  ten  minutes  to  see  whether  the 
symptoms  would  not  abate,  and  again  expressing 
ray  great  objection  to  bleed  her  unless  it  should  be 
absolutely  necessary,  I  left  the  room. 

Before  the  ten  minutes  had  expired,  I  received 
private  intelligence  that  a  very  great  improvement 
had  taken  place  in  my  patient ;  that  the  violent  ac- 
tion of  her  arm  had  much  abated,  and  that,  in  short, 
there  was  every  prospect  of  a  complete  cure. 

When  I  again  made  my  appearance,  hardly  could 
I  preserve  my  gravity,  for  the  young  woman  scarcely 
moved  her  arm.     There  was,  setting  aside  the  wick- 


^4  I>0   YOU    ABHOR    DECEIT? 

edness  of  deceit,  something  so  truly  ludicrous  in  the 
gentle  risings  and  fallings  of  that  arm,  which  was 
before  so  violent,  that  my  slender  stock  of  philoso- 
phy was  almost  overcome ;  however  I  did  contrive 
to  preserve  my  gravity.. 

Once  more  I  applied  my  fingers  to  the  pulse, 
looked  wise,  and  asked  a  few  unmeaning  questions, 
after  which  I  made  a  few  remarks  on  the  sudden 
changes  which  characterised  some  complaints,  and 
concluded  my  observations  by  saying  that  I  could 
not  rest  satisfied  till  every  symptom  had  subsided ; 
so  long  as  the  slightfist  motion  was  visible  in  the  af- 
fected limb,  I  should  be  apprehensive  of  a  return  of 
the  attack. 

Again  I  left  my  patient  for  a  short  time,  and  on 
my  return  found  the  cure  was  complete.  Not  a 
finger,  not  a  muscle  moved.  St.  Vitus's  dance,  for 
the  time  at  least,  was  completely  eradicated ;  so, 
binding  up  her  arm  in  her  apron,  I  directed  her  to 
support  it  with  her  other  hand,  and  to  walk  home 
as  gently  as  she  could. 

The  windows  of  the  farm-house  parlour,  which 
overlooked  the  road  from  the  house,  were  crowded 
with  all  the  visitors,  as  the  recovered  patient  crept 
like  a  snail  down  the  avenue  to  the  white  gate,  car- 
rying her  wrapt-up  arm  carefully  with  her  left 
hand,  thinking,  no  doubt,  how  well  she  had  con- 
trived to  deceive  the  doctor. 

I  had  now  done  all  that  had  been  required  of  me ; 
I  had  tried  the  delinquent,  and  proved  her  guilty  of 


DO   YOU   ABHOR   DECEIT?  95 

deceit.  The  disease  of  St.  Vitus' s  dance  was  all  an 
imposture.  It  then  remained  for  them  whom  it 
most  concerned  to  take  such  steps  as  would  effectu- 
ally prevent  my  unhappy  patient  from  ever  again 
profiting  by  her  hypocrisy.  How  true  it  is  that 
"the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard;"  that  "the  folly 
of  fools  is  deceit ;"  and  that  "  the  joy  of  the  hypo- 
crite is  but  for  a  moment."  For  a  season  this  un- 
happy girl  had  succeeded  in  living  a  life  of  idleness, 
obtaining  pay  from  the  parish  on  account  of  her 
supposed  infirmity ;  but  how  dearly  in  the  loss  of 
her  character  would  she  have  to  pay  for  the  impos- 
tare. 

The  aged  tenant  of  the  farmhouse  lies  in  the 
churchyard,  and  part  of  the  visitors  slumber  in  the 
tomb  ;  yet  here  am  I  still,  mercifully  preserved, 
penning  down  this  poor  record  of  bygone  days. 

Had  this  poor  ignorant  girl  received  the  advan- 
tages of  a  Sunday  school  education,  and  been  faith- 
fully dealt  with  by  her  instructors,  it  is  hardly  pro- 
bable that  she  would  have  persevered  in  so  hypo- 
critical and  hardened  a  career.  Look  around  you^ 
then,  and  see  if  among  your  scholars  there  is  one 
in  whose  heart  this  error,  this  vice,  this  sin  is  taking 
root.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  you  to  accustom  your- 
selves to  discover  the  germs  of  evil,  the  beginnings 
of  sin  in  your  young  charge,  and  then  to  look  at 
these  things  in  their  full  growth ;  remembering  that 
sin,  though  small  as  the  mustard  seed  of  Scripture, 
which  you  know  is  described  as  the  least  of  all  seeds, 


96  DO   YOU   TURN   PASSING 

grows  rapidly,  and  may  become  as  the  wide-spread- 
ing tree,  which  delves  deep  with  its  roots,  and  ex- 
tends its  gigantic  branches  afar. 

My  object  in  these  remarks  has  been  to  quicken 
your  perceptions  in  the  discovery  of  deceit  in  your 
scholars,  that  you  may,  with  God's  blessing,  be 
made  a  means  to  defend  them  from  the  evil  of  their 
own  hearts.  The  best  way  to  do  this  will  be  in  a 
prayerful  spirit  to  keep  a  watchful  eyo  over  your 
own  hearts,  and  to  say  in  sincerity,  "  Examine  me, 
O  Lord,  and  prove  me ;  try  my  reins  and  my  heart." 
Psalm  xxvi.  2. 


X. 


DO  YOU  TURN  PASSING  OCCURRENCES  TO 
ADVANTAGE"? 

As  in  my  present  hints  I  mean  to  be  practical,  so, 
perhaps,  there  is  the  fairer  prospect  of  my  being 
useful.  After  all  the  plans  and  contrivances  which 
have  been  laid  down  for  Sunday  school  teaching,  the 
common  routine  of  your  accustomed  duties  is,  perhaps, 
the  most  important.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  es- 
pecial advantages  are  obtained  by  addresses,  striking 
remarks,  visits  of  talented  and  christian-minded 
Strangers,  the  introduction  of  new,  interesting,  and 


OCCURRENCES    TO    ADVANTAGE?  97 

profitable  books,  and  by  private  conversation  with 
your  scholars  ;  still,  I  do  not  think  that  these  ad- 
vantages are  altogether  equal  in  importance  to  those 
which  are  secured  by  a  punctual,  patient,  and  per- 
severing attention  to  your  common  routine  of  in- 
struction. When  I  first  learnt  to  write  with  my 
school  companions,  some  of  us  were  very  fond  of 
flourishing  with  our  pens  ;  "  I  have  no  objection," 
said  our  tutor  to  us  one  day,  when  we  were  thus 
employed,  •'  I  have  no  objection  to  your  learning  to 
flourish,  but  first  attend  to  your  writing ;  secure  a 
good,  plain,  intelligible  hand,  and  then  flourish  as 
much  as  you  please."  You  perceive  that  the 
homely  hint  I  here  mean  to  give  you  is  this  ;  benefit 
your  scholars  by  every  means  in  your  power,  but, 
above  all,  by  a  punctual,  patient,  and  persevering 
attention  to  your  common  routine  of  Sabbath  in- 
struction. If  you  do  no  more  than  teach  them  to 
read  God's  holy  word,  and  impress  their  minds  with 
the  value  of  prayer  and  holy  things,  you  will  be  to 
them  real  friends,  and  kind  benefactors. 

But  though  I  thus  speak  of  your  common  duties 
as,  under  God's  blessing,  the  most  to  be  relied  on, 
and  the  most  important,  yet  would  I  strongly  advo- 
cate the  spirit,  the  talent,  and  the  practice  of  turning 
to  advantage  passing  occurrences.  The  Sunday 
school  teacher  who  can  avail  himself  readily  of  the 
little  incidents  which  are  continually  taking  place 
in  every  situation,  may  do  much  good  to  those  under 
his  care  by  his  apt  remarks :  he  will  spread  cheer- 
9 


98  DO   YOU   TURN    PASSING 

fulness  around ;  lighten  labour ;  win  the  good  will 
of  his  scholars,  and  increase  his  influence  among 
them. 

Now,  let  me  give  a  few  instances  of  what  I  mean, 
by  way  of  illustration :  it  will  be  odd,  indeed,  if  out 
of  a  dozen  homely  hints,  j^^ou  should  not  be  able  to 
pick  out  two  or  three  which  may  be  worth  remem- 
bering. Old  Ephraim  Holding  is  surely  not  so 
hardly  driven  to  it,  as  to  be  utterly  unable  to  throw 
out  a  useful  suggestion  to  his  young  friends. 

If  a  scholar  come  to  school  early ^  let  him  not 
suppose  that  you  are  unmindful  of  the  circumstance, 
but  rather  encourage  him  with  a  cheering  remark, 
after  the  following  fashion :  "  This  is  something 
like !  A  good  beginning  is  the  way  to  a  good  end- 
ing. Give  me  the  boy  with  a  willing  mind  ;  one  that 
comes  to  school  by  the  rail-road,  and  not  by  the 
broad-wheeled  Wagon.  They  tell  me  that  early 
cherries  have  been  sold  at  a  guinea  a  pound  in  Co- 
vent-garden  market,  and  you  may  buy  late  cherries 
there  at  two-pence." 

If  a  scholar  come  late.  "  How  is  this  %  A 
quarter  behind  time  !  Never  let  it  happen  again  ; 
my  time  is  worth  as  much  as  your's,  and  I  have 
quite  as  much  to  do  away  from  the  school  as  you 
have,  and  yet  I  am  here  before  you.  Had  I  given 
notice  that  a  plum  cake  would  have  been  divided 
among  the  early  comers,  you  would  have  been  here 
half-an-hour  ago  ;  and  yet  your  Sabbath  instruction, 
with  God's  blessing,  will  be  worth  more  to  you  than 


OCCURRENCES   TO    ADVANTAGE?  99 

all  the  plum-cakes  in  the  world.  Now  do  not  come 
again  with  heavy  heels,  take  all  the  lead  out  of 
your  shoes,  and  see  if  instead  of  coming  a  quarter 
after  time,  you  cannot  get  here  a  quarter  before." 

Whe7i  the  sun  shines.  '■  You  see,  boys,  the  sun 
is  doing  his  duty,  now  let  us  do  ours.  If  it  would 
be  a  shame  to  sit  in  idleness  fey  the  light  of  twenty 
candles,  it  would  be  a  sin  as  well  as  a  shame  to 
waste  the  light  of  the  sun,  that  millions  of  candles 
could  not  outshine  !" 

On  a  dark  day.  "  If  we  cannot  see  the  sun  to- 
day, it  is  a  great  comfort  that  we  can  see  our  books. 
The  people  at  the  Blind  Asylum,  who  have  no  eye- 
sight, are  as  busy  as  bees  on  a  week-day ;  let  us, 
then,  who  have  eye-sight,  be  as  busy  as  bees  on  the 
Sabbath." 

On  a  sharp  frost.  "  This  is  a  cold  day ;  but  he 
who  sends  us  the  sunshine,  sends  us  the  frost ;  and 
if  the  one  is  intended  to  do  good,  so  is  the  other. 
The  people  in  some  countries  have  frost  and  snow 
almost  all  the  year.  Now,  if  they  can  bear  so  much 
pinching,  I  warrant  we  can  bear  a  little.  If  there 
were  no  frost,  there  would  be  no  ice,  and  if  you  had 
no  ice,  you  would  have  no  sliding.  Think  of  this, 
boys,  and  none  of  you  screw  up  your  faces,  but  all 
of  you  bear  the  cold  without  a  murmur." 

On  a  hot  day.  "  If  we  were  in  the  East  or  West 
Indies,  or  in  an  African  desert,  with  no  tree  to  af- 
ford us  a  shade,  we  should  have  some  cause  to  com- 
plain of  the  heat ;  but  as  it  is,  we  must  try  to  make 


100  DO    YOU    TURN   PASSING 

ourselves  easy.  So  long  as  we  wish  fruit  to  be 
brought  to  maturity,  and  corn  to  ripen  for  the  sickle, 
every  hot  day  should  fill  our  hearts  with  thankful- 
ness and  joy." 

When  it  rains.  "  It  comes  down  now,  however ! 
It  would  be  a  hard  task  to  count  the  drops  of  rain, 
but  a  much  harder  one  to  count  God's  mercies.  In 
some  parts  of  the  world  they  have  no  rain  for  years 
together,  and  in  other  parts  it  keeps  on  raining 
month  after  month  incessantly.  Whenever  it  rains 
we  should  thank  God  for  two  things  ;  the  one,  that 
we  have  rain  enough  ;  the  other,  that  we  have  not 
too  much." 

After  a  clap  of  thunder.  "  If  God  were  always 
to  speak  to  us  in  thunder,  it  would  indeed  terrify  us. 
How  thankful  then  should  we  be  for  the  gentle 
whisperings  of  his  Holy  Word !  Every  thunder- 
storm should  make  us  value  our  Bibles  more  than 
ever." 

On  beginning  school.  "  Now,  boys,  to  business, 
to  business !  A  Sunday  school  is  like  a  flower- 
garden  :  the  books  are  the  flowers,  and  the  scholars 
are  the  bees.  That  is  the  best  bee  that  gets  the  most 
honey,  and  he  is  the  best  boy  who  gets  the  most 
wisdom." 

When  the  clock  strikes.,  for  sometimes  it  is  lar- 
umed  aloud  from  some  church  tower  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  a  Sunday  school.  "  Do  you  hear  the 
clock,  boys  ?  It  tells  us  two  things  ;  the  one,  that 
we  are  living ;  the  other,  that  we  are  dying,  for 


OCCURRENCES  TO  ADVANTAGE?       101 

time  is  hastening  on.  The  striking  of  a  clock 
should  make  us  thankful  for  life,  and  remind  us  to 
prepare  for  death. 

To  a  diligent  scholar.  "  A  little  wisdom  in  the 
head,  is  worth  more  than  a  great  deal  of  money  in 
the  pocket ;  and  your  diligent  habits  will  do  you 
more  good  than  a  gold  mine.  Only  continue  as 
you  are  going  on  now,  and  we  shall  some  day  be 
glad  to  turn  the  scholar  into  a  teacher." 

To  the  scholars  when  about  to  return  home. 
"  Now  boys,  forget  not  at  home  what  you  have 
learned  at  school.  I  remember  many  years  ago 
two  parties  quarrelling  ;  the  one  was  determined  to 
build  a  wall  which  was  wanted,  and  the  other  was 
equally  determined  that  the  wall  should  not  be  built ; 
so  every  day  a  portion  of  the  wall  was  built  by  the 
one  party,  and  every  night  it  was  pulled  down  by  the 
other.  Now  mind,  boys,  that  you  do  not  act  so 
foolish  a  part.  Mind  that  you  do  not  pull  down 
during  the  week  the  wall  we  have  built  together  at 
the  Sunday  school  on  the  Sabbath." 

These  instances  are  merely  given,  as  I  said,  by 
way  of  illustration  ;  they  are  homely  hints  which 
you  may  turn  to  advantage,  by  improving  upon 
ihem  as  occasion  may  serve.  You  have  heard 
many  such  sayings  as  these.  "  Time  and  tide  wait 
for  no  man."  "  An  opportunity  lost  is  never  to  be 
regained."  "  If  you  lose  the  ship,  you  lose  the 
voyage  ;"  and,  "  A  minute  too  late  is  too  late  for 
ever."  Now  all  these  are  meant  to  set  forth  the 
9* 


102  DO   YOU   TURN   PASSING 

wisdom  of  taking-  advantage  of  occasions  and  op- 
portunities. It  is  wise  to  do  this  through  life  ;  it  is 
wise  to  do  it  at  home  and  abroad  ;  and  it  is  wise  to 
do  it  at  the  Sunday  school. 

But  when  I  ask,  if  you  turn  passing  occurrences 
to  advantage,  I  wish  not  to  confine  the  inquiry  alto- 
gether to  the  hours  you  pass  at  the  Sunday  school. 
It  is  on  the  Sabbath  day  that  you  take  on  yourselves 
the  office  of  instructors  ;  but  every  day  you  may  do 
something  to  render  yourselves  more  capable  in  the 
discharge  of  your  duty.  If  with  an  eye  to  your 
Sabbath  engagements,  you  look  around  you  during 
the  week,  for  something  that  might  be  useful  to  you 
at  your  school  on  a  Sunday,  you  will  hardly  fail 
to  find  it.  Everything  that  adds  to  your  knowledge, 
and  improves  your  character  ;  everything  that  in- 
creases your  interest  in  the  welfare  of  young  peo- 
ple ;  deepens  your  convictions  of  the  hatefulness  of 
sin,  imparts  an  additional  value  to  God's  Holy 
Word,  and  heightens  your  desire  for  the  Redeem- 
er's glory,  is  an  advantage.  There  is  as  much  dif- 
ference between  the  teaching  of  one  who  is  in  love 
with  his  vocation,  and  the  teaching  of  another  who 
is  influenced  by  inferior  motives,  as  there  is  between 
a  real  fire  and  a  painted  flame.  The  one  is  warm 
glowing,  and  grateful ;  the  other  is  cold  and  cheer- 
less. 

Do  not  undervalue  my  hint  of  laying  up  on  a 
week-day  what  may  be  useful  on  a  Sunday.  For 
several  years  I  was  accustomed  to  spend  a  few 


OCCURRENCES  TO  ADVANTAGE?       103 

hours,  on  a  certain  day  of  the  week  with  one  who 
was  much  confined  within  doors.  Invalids  are  cut 
off  from  many  enjoyments,  and  the  call  of  a  friend, 
and  the  narration  of  any  passing  occurrence  of  in- 
terest is  often  a  great  gratification  to  them.  Well, 
I  used  to  store  my  memory  through  the  week,  as 
well  as  I  could,  with  such  profitable  remarks  and 
interesting  particulars  as  came  within  my  reach,  so 
that  when  the  day  came  round,  I  had  a  well  sup- 
plied budget  of  welcome  intelligence.  This  be- 
came a  sure  source  of  mutual  gratification ;  and  I 
question  much  whether  my  poor  invalided  friend 
received  more  pleasure  in  hearing,  than  I  did  in 
narrating  the  several  particulars  I  had  collected  to- 
gether. Try  to  profit  by  my  experience ;  and 
what  I  did  for  my  invalided  friend,  do  you  for  your 
Sunday  school. 

It  has  been  said  that  you  may  walk  abroad  the 
whole  year  without  once  seeing  a  pin  lying  on  the 
ground,  but  that  if  you  go  out  with  the  intention 
of  picking  up  a  pin,  you  will  be  sure  to  find  one ; 
if  this  be  a  truth,  and  I  am  quite  inclined  to  believe 
it  is,  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  ap- 
plied to  a  useful  lesson  for  young  people,  as  well 
as  to  a  pin.  Make  it  a  business  to  look  for  some- 
thing that  may  be  made  useful  to  your  scholars,  and 
there  is  very  little  doubt  but  you  will  find  it. 

If  you  see  a  sun-rise,  or  a  sun-set,  or  a  moonlight 
scene,  that  impresses  your  mind  with  the  greatness 


104  DO    YOU    TURN    TASSING 

or  beauty  of  God's  glorious  creation ;  or  a  text  oi 
Scripture  which  exhibits  in  a  striking  light  the 
grace  of  the  Redeemer,  say  to  yourself,  '•  I  will 
mention  this  at  the  Sunday  school,  it  has  impressed 
me,  it  may  impress  others  ;  if  it  has  called  forth 
gratitude  in  my  heart,  it  may  make  the  hearts  of 
my  Sunday  scholars  thankful."  This  custom,  perse- 
vered in,  will  become  pleasant  to  you,  and  pleasant 
and  profitable  to  those  under  your  care. 

If,  in  the  course  of  your  reading,  you  meet  with 
anything  that  will  point  out  the  temptations  and 
dangers  that  young  people  are  subject  to,  let  it  not 
be  forgotten.  A  short  time  ago,  I  read  an  account 
of  a  person  engaged  in  the  post-office,  who  was 
tempted  to  secrete  a  letter  which  he  thought  had 
money  in  it;  being  suspected,  he  was  examined, 
and  the  letter  found  in  his  possession.  For  stealing 
of  that  letter,  which  after  all  contained  only  a 
penny-piece,  he  was  transported  for  life !  Think 
of  a  human  being  losing  his  character,  his  liberty, 
and  his  peace,  and  all  for  a  penny  !  It  is  true  that 
he  thought  the  letter  contained  more  than  a  penny  ; 
but  it  shows  what  poor  wages  the  author  of  evil  gives 
to  those  who  obey  him.  When  you  meet  with  such 
an  account  as  this,  fail  not  to  take  it  with  you  to  the 
Sunday  school :  it  may  open  the  eyes  of  some  of 
your  class  to  the  sin  and  folly  of  dishonesty,  and 
impress  their  minds  deeply  and  solemnly  with  the 
commandment,  "  Thou  shalt  not  steal." 

Experience  teaches  us  the  wisdom  of  sowmg  the 


OCCURRENCES    TO   ADVANTAGE?  105 

seeds  of  instruction,  admonition,  and  encourage- 
ment freely,  for  we  know  not  what  part  of  them 
will  spring  up,  and  what  part  of  them  die.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  young  people  often  remember  what 
we  do  not  suppose  has  made  a  lodgment  m  their 
minds,  and  forget  what  we  take  the  most  pains  to 
impress  on  their  memory.  The  habit  of  sowing 
freely  is  the  most  likely  to  secure  a  good  harvest. 

When  a  boy  is  put  apprentice  to  a  business,  of 
whatever  kind  it  is,  though  he  may  be  altogether 
ignorant  of  it  at  first,  he  acquires  afterwards  a  de- 
gree of  expertness :  and  if  it  be  so  with  the  appren- 
tice-boy, why  should  not  it  be  so  with  you?  If 
you  make  it  your  business  to  consider  how  you  can 
best  serve  your  classes  at  the  Sunday  school,  take 
my  word  for  it,  you  will  hit  upon  methods  and  find 
out  means  which  at  first  never  occurred  to  you. 

When  I  fall  back  on  my  experience,  and  consi- 
der how  many  of  the  words  and  deeds  of  those  who 
acted  kindly  to  me  in  my  boyish  days  are  treasured 
in  my  memory,  it  operates  as  an  encouragement  to 
pay  attention  to  young  people ;  and  willingly  would 
I  turn  ever}'-  passing  occurrence  to  their  advantage, 
not  even  losing  my  present  opportunity  of  impress- 
ing you  with  the  propriety  of  doing  the  same  thing. 
Not  yet  have  I  forgotten  the  days  of  my  youth ; 
not  yet  have  I  ceased  to  feel  a  lively  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  young  people  ;  and  so  long  as  Ephraim 
Holding  truly  desires  that  the  world  may  increase 
in  knowledge,  kindness,  goodness,  and  the  fear  of 


106      WHAT   IS   YOUR    STOCK   OF   INFORMATION  ? 

the  Lord,  so  long  must  he  respect  and  honour  Sun- 
day school  teachers,  for  their  christian  labours  on 
behalf  of  the  rising  generation. 


XL 

WHAT  IS  YOUR  STOCK  OF  INFORMATION  7 

Although  of  all  necessary  qualifications  itt  a 
Sunday  school  teacher  the  sincere  desire  to  benefit 
his  scholars  in  time  and  eternity  is  the  most  neces- 
sary, yet  would  I,  again  and  again,  urge  on  you 
the  importance  of  attaining  knowledge. 

It  is  true  that,  with  a  goodly  sincerity  of  purpose, 
much  good  may  be  done,  with  only  knowledge 
enough  to  keep  a  little  a-head  of  your  several 
classes,  but  an  increase  of  attainments  is  such  an 
increase  of  power,  that  the  question,  "  What  is 
your  stock  of  information  f  may  be  made  useful. 
So  many  circumstances  take  place,  and  so  many 
occasions  present  themselves,  in  which  the  posses- 
sion of  knowledge  will  strengthen  your  hands,  and 
increase  your  influence,  that,  from  day  to  day,  and 
from  hour  to  hour,  you  should  diligently  add  to 
your  mental  stores. 

It  is  not  to  know  things  merely,  that  is  desirablCj 
but  to  be  so  familiar  with  them,  as  to  be  able  to 


WHAT   IS    YOUR    STOCK    OF    INFORJIATION  ?       107 

apply  your  knowledge  promptly  and  practically,  as 
the  case  may  require.  This  familiarity  with  know- 
ledge I  will  venture  to  press  a  little  more  on  your 
attention. 

Your  knowledge  of  God's  word,  I  trust,  is 
considerable ;  you  know,  most  likely,  the  general 
contents  of  every  book  it  contains,  from  Genesis 
to  Revelation,  and  are  familiar  with  Scripture 
characters. 

You  know  that  the  word  Scripture  signifies 
writing  ;  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  comprehend  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  written  by  holy  men, 
inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  That  the  Scriptures 
are  called  The  Bible,  or  The  Book,  by  way  of  pre- 
eminence, as  it  far  excels  every  other  book ;  that 
the  Old  Testament  is  the  "  dispensation  of  the  cov- 
enants of  grace  by  types  and  shadows,"  represent- 
ing "  the  coming  of  the  Messiah ;"  and  that  the  New 
Testament,  or  the  Gospel,  is  "  the  new  dispensation 
of  the  covenant  of  grace,"  showing  the  Messiah  to 
be  come. 

You  know  that  the  history  of  the  Bible  is  the 
most  ancient  of  any  in  the  world — that  it  contains 
an  account  of  the  creation — the  sin  of  our  first  pa- 
rents— the  promise  of  a  Messiah  or  Redeemer — 
the  general  depravity  of  mankind — the  flood — the 
building  of  Babel,  and  the  scattering  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  earth — the  Egyptians  and  their  plagues 
— the  idolatrous  nations — the  wanderings  of  the 
children  of  Israel  in  the  desert,  and  the  signs  and 


108       WHAT   IS   YOUR    STOCK   OF    INFORMATION*? 

wonders  wrought  there  for  them — ^the  Ten  Com- 
mandments and  the  laws — the  bringing  the  people 
into  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  together  with  a  full  nar- 
ration concerning  the  patriarchs  and  the  prophets, 
the  priests  and  the  kings. 

The  New  Testament,  you  know,  treats  of  our 
blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  his  birth, 
life,  teaching,  miracles,  cruel  death,  and  glorious 
resurrection,  with  an  account  of  John  the  Baptist, 
his  forerunner,  and  his  followers,  the  Apostles, 
with  their  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel. 
I  give  you  credit  for  the  knowledge  of  these 
things,  but  are  you  as  familiar  with  them  as  you 
ought  to  be?  if  not,  make  up  your  mind  to  be- 
come so. 

You  are  aware,  most  likely,  that  the  first  age  of 
the  world  extends  from  Adam  to  Noah  ;  the  second, 
from  Noah  to  Abram ;  the  third,  from  Abram  to 
Moses  ;  the  fourth,  from  Moses  to  David ;  the 
fifth,  from  David  to  Nehemiah  ;  the  sixth,  from 
Nehemiah  to  John  the  Baptist,  and  the  birth  of 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  and  the  seventh  onward 
to  the  period  when  St.  John  wrote  his  Gospel.  If 
these  ages  are  fixed  in  your  memory,  they  will 
afford  you  great  assistance  in  your  meditations  on 
the  past 

You  know  that,  from  a  very  early  age,  idolatry 
has  been  widely  spread  abroad  ;  and  probably  you 
kftow  that  the  Egyptians  worshipped  Osiris,  Isis, 
aftd  Typhgn  ;   the  Persians,  Ormuzd,  Mithas,  and 


WHAT   IS    YOUR    STOCK    OF    INFORMATION?        109 

Ahriman  ;  the  Hindoos,  Brahma,  Seeva,  and  Vish- 
nu ;  the  Babylonians  bowed  down  to  Belus  ;  the 
Syrians,  Canaanites,  and  Philistines,  to  Moloch, 
Baal,  Dagon,  and  Rimmon  ;  the  Peruvians,  to  the 
sun,  moon,  and  stars  ;  and  the  Mexicans,  to  Vitzli- 
putzli  and  Kaloc  ;  the  Scythians  adored  Tabite, 
Papius,  and  Apia  ;  the  Scandinavians,  Odin,  Frea, 
and  Thor  ;  the  Ceks,  whose  priests  were  Druids, 
Teutates,  Dis,  and  Andate ;  and  that  the  Greeks 
and  Romans  worshipped  Jupiter,  Neptune,  Mer- 
cury, Apollo,  Mars,  Vulcan,  Juno,  Minerva,  and 
others.  Though  these  are  but  a  small  part  of 
the  gods  of  the  heathen,  they  are  some  of  the 
principal  among  them.  Though  you  may  know 
these  facts  generally,  your  occasionally  reading 
them  over  will  refresh  your  memory,  and,  per- 
haps, make  you  more  thankful  for  your  knowledge 
of  the  true  God,  and  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord. 

You  may  know  that  the  history  of  the  English 
Bible  includes  a  period  of  nine  hundred  years,  and 
I  may  be  stating  nothing  new  to  you  in  recapitu- 
lating the  following  facts ,  the  venerable  Bade 
translated  the  Psalter  and  the  Gospel  into  the 
Anglo-Saxon  by  order  of  King  Alfred.  The  price 
of  a  Bible,  in  1274,  fairly  written,  with  a  Commen- 
tary, was  £30.,  though  in  1240,  two  arches  of 
London  Bridge  were  built  for  £25, 

Richard  RoUes  was  one  of  the  first  to  attempt  a 
translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  English  language 
10 


110      WHAT   IS   YOUR    STOCK   OF   INFORMATION? 

as  it  was  spoken  after  the  Conquest.  He  wrote  a 
paraphrase  in  verse  on  the  book  of  Job,  and  a  gloss 
upon  the  Psalter  ;  but  the  whole  Bible  by  Wickliffe 
appeared  between  1360  and  1380. 

A  bill  in  the  year  1390  was  brought  into  the 
House  of  Lords  to  forbid  the  use  of  English  Bibles, 
but  it  did  not  pass.  A  decree  of  Arundel,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  in  1408  forbade  unauthorised 
persons  to  translate  any  text  of  Holy  Scripture  into 
English,  as  well  as  prohibited  the  reading  of  any 
translation  till  approved  of  by  the  bishops  or  a  coun- 
cil. Several  persons  were  burned  for  reading  the 
word  of  God. 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Fifth,  a  law  was 
passed,  "  That  whoever  should  read  the  Scriptures 
in  their  mother-tongue,  should  forfeit  land,  cattle, 
body,  life,  and  goods,  from  their  heirs  for  ever,  and 
be  condemned  for  heretics  to  God,  enemies  to  the 
crown,  and  most  errant  traitors  to  the  land."  And 
between  1461  and  1483,  Fust,  or  Faustus,  who  un- 
dertook the  sales  of  Bibles  at  Paris,  where  printing 
was  then  unknown,  narrowly  escaped  punishment. 
He  was  taken  for  a  magician,  because  he  produced 
them  so  rapidly,  and  because  one  copy  was  so  much 
like  another. 

The  Latin  Vulgate,  printed  at  Mayntz,  in  1462, 
was  the  very  first  printed  edition  of  the  whole  Bible 
in  any  language,  bearing  the  date  and  place  of  its 
execution,  and  the  name  of  the  printer.  The  first 
printed  edition  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  any  mo- 


WHAT    IS   yOUil    STOCK    OF   INFORMATION?       Ill 

dern  language  was  in  German,  in  the  year  1467. 
The  New  Testament,  by  Luther,  revised  by  Melanc- 
thon,  appeared  in  1522.  William  Tyndal,  in  1526, 
printed  his  English  Testament  at  Antwerp  ;  but 
those  who  sold  it  in  England,  were  condemned  by 
Sir  Thomas  More,  the  Lord  Chancellor,  to  ride 
with  their  faces  to  the  horses'  tails,  with  papers  on 
their  heads,  and  to  throw  back  their  books  into  the 
fire  at  Cheapside.  Tyndal  himself  was  strangled 
and  burned.  His  dying  prayer  was  "  Lord,  open 
the  King  of  England's  eyes."  John  Fry,  or  Fryth, 
and  William  Roye,  who  assisted  Tyndal  in  his 
Bible,  were  both  burnt  for  heresy. 

Cranmer  obtained  a  commission  from  the  king 
to  prepare,  with  the  assistance  of  learned  men,  a 
translation  of  the  Bible.  It  was  to  be  printed  at 
Paris,  but  the  Inquisition  interfered,  and  2,500 
copies  were  seized  and  condemned  to  the  flames. 
Some  of  these,  however,  being  through  avarice  sold 
for  waste  paper  by  the  officer  who  superintended 
the  burning,  were  recovered,  and  brought  to  Eng- 
land, to  the  great  delight  of  Cranmer,  w-ho,  on  re- 
ceiving some  copies,  said  that  it  gave  him  more  joy 
than  if  he  had  received  two  thousand  pounds.  It 
was  commanded  that  a  Bible  should  be  deposited  in 
every  parish  church,  to  be  read  by  all  who  pleased ; 
and  permission  at  last  was  obtained  to  all  subjects  to 
purchase  the  English  Bible  for  the  use  of  them- 
selves and  families. 

In  the  year  1535,  Coverdale's  folio  Bible  was 


112      WHAT   IS   YOUE,    STOCK    OF    INFORMATION? 

published.  In  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Sixth,  new 
editions  appeared.  In  Mary's  reign,  the  gospellers, 
or  reformers,  fled  abroad  ;  but  a  new  translation  of 
the  New  Testament  in  English,  appeared  at  Ge- 
neva in  1557,  the  first  which  had  the  distinction  of 
verses,  with  figures  attached  to  them. 

A  quarto  edition  of  the  whole  Bible  was  prmted 
at  Geneva,  in  1560,  by  Rowland  Harte.  A  New 
Testament,  in  Welsh,  appeared  in  1569  ;  the  whole 
Bible  in  1588,  and  the  English  translation  called 
the  Bishop's  Bible,  by  Archbishop  Parker,*in  1568. 
It  was  in  1582  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Rhenish 
Testament  appeared  ;  and  in  1609  and  1610,  that 
their  Douay  Old  Testament  was  printed.  In  1607 
was  begun,  and  in  1611  was  completed,  a  new  and 
more  correct  translation,  being  the  present  author- 
ised verson  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  by  forty-seven 
learned  persons  (fifty-four  were  appointed)  chosen 
from  the  two  Universities.  This  edition  has  been 
truly  styled  "  not  only  the  glory  of  the  rich,  and  the 
inheritance  of  the  poor,"  but  "  the  guide  to  the  way- 
worn pilgrim,  the  messenger  of  grace,  and  the 
means  of  knowledge,  holiness,  and  joy  to  millions." 
Perhaps  all  of  these  facts  are  well  known  to  you, 
and  they  may  have  made  you  value  the  word  of 
God  more  highly  than  you  did  before  you  knew 
them :  yet  still  memory  is  defective ;  read  them 
again  and  again,  for  you  cannot  be  too  familiar  with 
them. 

You  are  not,  I  dare  say,  without  some  know- 


WHAT   IS   YOUR.    STOCK    OF    INFORMATION?       113 

ledofe  of  creation  at  large.  You  know  that  the 
sun  is  the  centre  of  our  system,  around  which  the 
earth  and  other  planets  move  ;  that  it  is  a  million 
times  larger  than  the  earth,  and  at  a  distance  from 
it  of  more  than  ninety-five  million  miles  ;  that  the 
moon,  which  gives  us  light,  is  itself  lighted  by  the 
sun  ;  and  that  the  stars  are  suns  themselves  ;  that 
clouds  are  vapours  ;  that  winds  are  air,  put  in  mo- 
tion by  heat  and  cold  ;  that  snow  is  frozen  vapour  ; 
hail,  frozen  rain  ;  and  rain,  small  drops  of  vapour, 
united  by  cold  air  into  larger  drops,  which  the  at- 
mosphere cannot  sustain. 

You  know  that  the  earth  is  about  twenty-four 
thousand  miles  round  it,  or  eight  thousand  miles 
through  it ;  that  its  surface  is  formed  of  land  and 
water ;  that  it  is  now  usually  divided  into  six  parts ; 
Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  America,  Australasia,  and 
Polynesia  ;  that  its  productions  are  animal,  vegeta- 
ble, and  mineral,  and  that  its  inhabitants  are  sup- 
posed to  be  about  a  thousand  millions,  varying  in 
colour,  language,  religion,  manners,  customs,  and 
opinions.  You  may  know  these  things  well,  but 
if  not,  try  to  make  yourselves  familiar  with  them. 

The  history  of  your  own  country  is  perhaps 
known  to  you,  at  least  you  are  not  altogether  igno- 
rant of  it.  You  know  that  eighteen  hundred  years 
ago,  England  was  inhabited  by  heathen  barbarians  ; 
that  it  was  conquered  at  different  times  by  the  Ro- 
mans, Saxons,  Danes,  and  Normans  ;  that  William 
the  Conqueror  built  the  Tower  of  London  ;  that  his 
10* 


114      WHAT   IS    rolTv    STOCK    OF   IXFORMATION? 

son,  William  Rufus,  was  accidentally  killed  by  an 
arrow  ;  that  Henry  the  First  was  called  Beauclerc, 
on  account  of  his  learning  ;  and  that  when  Stephen 
reigned,  England  was  troubled  with  civil  wars. 

You  know  that  Henry  the  Second  conquered 
Ireland  ;  that  Richard  the  First,  called  Lion's-heart, 
engaged  in  the  crusade,  to  take  possession  of  Pales- 
tine, or  the  Holy  Land ;  that  King  John  was  com- 
pelled to  sign  Magna  Charta,  the  bulwark  of  En- 
glish liberty  ;  that  Henry  the  Third  reigned  nearly 
fifty-six  years ;  and  that  Edward  the  First,  when 
Prince  of  Wales,  would  have  died  from  the  wound 
of  a  poisoned  arrow,  had  not  Eleanor,  his  wife, 
sucked  out  the  venom  from  the  part. 

You  know  that  Edward  the  Second,  a  weak 
prince,  was  murdered  at  Berkeley  Castle  ;  that  Ed- 
ward the  Third  was  crowned  at  fourteen  years  of 
age ;  that  Richard  the  Second  quelled  the  rebellion 
led  on  by  Wat  Tyler  and  Jack  Straw,  by  placing 
himself  at  the  head  of  the  insurgents  ;  that  Henry 
the  Fourth,  to  his  disgrace,  was  the  first  to  burn 
men  on  the  charge  of  heresy  ;  that  Henry  the  Fifth 
obtained  great  victories  in  France  ;  and  that  Wick- 
liffe,  the  father  of  the  English  Reformation,  lived  in 
his  reign. 

You  know  that  Henry  the  Sixth  succeeded  his 
father,  when  only  nine  months  old ;  in  his  reign 
took  place  the  rebellion,  headed  by  Jack  Cade  ;  that 
Edward  the  Fourth  was  brave,  but  cruel  also  ;  in 
his  reign  printing  was  first  introduced  into  England ; 


WHAT    IS   YOUPw   STOCK   OF   INFORMATION?       115 

that  Edward  the  Fifth  was  a  boy,  and  reigned  only- 
two  months,  being,  it  is  said,  murdered  with  his 
brother,  in  the  Tower  ;  and  that  Richard  the  Third 
waded  through  slaughter  to  a  throne,  though  many 
evil  deeds  are  laid  to  his  charge,  which  he  is  now 
supposed  to  have  been  free  from. 

You  know,  that  in  the  reign  of  Henry  the 
Seventh,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  America,  and 
the  East  and  West  Indies  were  discovered;  that 
Henry  the  Eighth,  though  a  strong-minded  mon- 
arch, lived  a  life  of  selfishness  and  cruelty  ;  in  his 
reign,  the  reformation  in  religion  was  begun  on  the 
continent,  by  Marim  Luther;  and  the  Bible,  being 
translated  and  printed  in  English,  was  ordered  to 
be  set  up  in  churches.  You  know  that  Edward 
the  Sixth,  a  very  young  king,  was  pious,  mild,  and 
m.erciful ;  when  a  companion  wished  him  to  set  his 
foot  on  a  large  Bible  to  enable  him  to  reach  a  shelf 
above  him,  he  reproved  him,  saying,  that  he  ought 
not  to  trample  that  under  his  feet,  which  he  ought 
to  treasure  up  in  his  head  and  his  heart. 

You  are  aware  that  Q,ueen  Mary  was  a  bigoted 
Roman  Catholic,  in  whose  reign  between  two  and 
three  hundred  people  were  burned  on  account  of 
their  religion  ;  among  them  were  Cranmer,  Rid- 
ley, Latimer,  Hooper,  and  Ferrar ;  that  Elizabeth 
restored  the  Protestant  religion  ;  in  her  reign  the 
Spanish  armada  was  destroyed :  that  in  the  reign 
of  James  the  First,  the  Gunpowder-plot,  to  blow  up 
the  Parliament-house,  was  formed  and  discovered  ; 


116      WHAT    IS    YOUR    S7;0CK    OE    INFORMATION? 

that  Charles  the  First  was  beheaded  at  Whitehall ; 
that  Oliver  Cromwell  ruled  as  Protector  for  nine 
years  ;  that  Charles  the  Second  was  an  abandoned 
libertine  ;  and  that  the  pestilence  which  carried  off 
more  than  sixty-eight  thousand  persons,  and  the 
great  fire  of  London,  that  destroyed  thirteen  thousand 
houses,  occurred  in  his  reign. 

You  remember  that  James  the  Second  fled  from 
his  throne,  which  was  ascended  by  William  the 
Third  ;  the  changes  in  the  government,  called  the 
Revolution,  took  place  in  his  time,  and  the  Bank 
of  England  was  established  ;  that  Anne  was  much 
beloved  ;  in  her  time  was  brought  about  the  Union 
between  England  and  Scotland  ;  and  that  George 
the  First  laid  it  down  as  a  maxim,  "  Never  to  aban- 
don his  friends,  to  do  justice  to  all  the  world,  and  to 
fear  no  man." 

You  know,  that  in  the  reign  of  George  the  Se- 
cond, the  British  Musuem  was  established ;  that 
George  the  Third  reigned  near  sixty  years  ;  one 
of  his  wishes  was,  that  a  Bible  might  be  possessed 
by  every  one  in  his  dominions  ;  in  his  reign  Sun 
day  schools  were  established  in  England  ;  that  in 
the  time  of  George  the  Fourth,  great  discoveries 
were  made,  Sunday  schools  multiplied,  and  religious 
publications  widely  spread  abroad  and  at  home  ; 
that  the  Reform  Bill  was  passed  in  the  reign  of 
William  the  Fourth,  and  the  Act  for  the  Abolition 
of  Slavery  in  the  British  possessions  ;  and  I  need 
not  remind  you  that  Queen  Victoria  now  sits  on  the 


WHAT   IS   YOUR    STOCK    OF    INFORMATION?       117 

British  throne.  May  she  long  reign  in  the  hearts 
of  her  subjects,  and,  after  that  wear  a  heavenly- 
crown. 

In  this  manner  I  might  go  on  a  long  time  run- 
ning over  the  heads  of  information,  quite  as  well 
known  to  many  of  you  as  to  myself;  but,  perhaps, 
I  have  said  enough,  and  what  I  wish  is,  to  impress 
your  minds  with  the  great  advantage  of  obtaining 
a  stock  of  useful  information,  and  being  familiar 
with  what  you  know.  When  the  English  learner 
of  a  foreign  language  has  obtained  a  fair  knowledge 
of  it,  but  not  such  a  familiarity  as  to  enable  him  to 
express  therein  his  thoughts,  or  to  comprehend 
what  a  speaker  of  it  says  without  difficulty,  he  takes 
so  much  time  to  consider  when  spoken  to,  that  he 
loses  the  opportunity  of  reply,  and  just  so  it  is  with 
all  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  knowledge  they 
possess.  It  is  of  little  use  to  know  things  by  halves. 
Be  determined  to  know  all  you  can,  and  also  to  know 
it  well,  and  you  will  find  abundant  opportunities  to 
turn  it  to  advantage. 


XII. 

ARE  YOU  FOND  OP  CHILDREN'? 

When  a  nurse-girl  applies  for  a  situation,  this 
question  among  others  is  almost  sure  to  be  put  to 
her — ^''  Are  you  fond  of  children  T^  and  almost  as 
sure  is  this  answer  to  be  returned,  "  yes,  ma'am,"  or, 
"  very,  ma'am,"  or  "  I  always  was,  ma'am."  With- 
out being  unreasonably  severe  upon  the  poor  girl, 
experience  proves  that  this  reply  is  sometimes  an 
improper  one,  being  prompted  rather  by  her  sup- 
posed interest  than  her  real  inclination. 

But  in  putting  the  inquiry  to  you,  there  is  no 
reason  at  all  why  you  should  not  give  an  answer 
strictly  in  accordance  with  truth :  for,  in  the  first 
place,  your  interest  will  not  be  affected  by  your  re- 
ply ;  and,  in  the  second,  if  it  were,  that  reply  will 
not  be  given  to  me,  but  to  yourselves.  Let  me 
therefore  urge  on  you  the  propriety  of  paying  some 
attention  to  my  question,  as  I  mean  to  explain  to 
you  my  motive  in  proposing  it. 

Believing,  as  I  do,  that  we  may  foster  bad  pas- 
sions, and  good  emotions,  just  as  we  may  feed  a 
viper  or  a  dove,  so  it  is  important  that  we  should  be 
aware  of  this  circumstance,  that  we  may  not  on  the 
one  hand  nourish  what  is  bad  within  us,  and  that 


ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN?       119 

we  may  on  the  other  encourage  within  us  all  that 
is  kind,  and  useful,  and  virtuous,  and  good.  If  you 
have  not  in  your  hearts  a  fondness  for  young  peo- 
ple, I  want  to  excite  it  within  you  ;  and.  if  you  have, 
I  would  willingly  increase  it,  and  turn  it  to  a  good 
account. 

To  put  the  question  to  you — Are  you  fond  of 
young  people  ?  appears  to  imply  a  greater  doubt 
than  I  really  entertain  in  this  matter,  for  I  can 
hardly  suppose  that  you  are  not  fond  of  them,  see- 
ing that  you  devote  so  much  time  for  their  express 
benefit ;  but  still,  as  many  from  a  sense  of  duty  per- 
form acts  which  inclination  does  not  prompt  them 
to  discharge,  I  will,  for  a  moment,  suppose  the  pos- 
sibility that  your  sympathies  are  not  much  excited  ; 
that  your  affections  are  not  much  called  forth  by 
the  society  of  young  people.  Let  me  then,  under 
these  supposed  circumstances,  speak  a  word  or  two 
in  their  behalf. 

You  are  now,  for  the  most  part,  comparatively 
young  yourselves  ;  but  believe  me,  should  your 
lives,  by  God's  blessing,  be  prolonged,  you  will 
find  in  the  world  so  much  planning,  contriving,  and 
scheming  ;  so  much  underhand  dealing  and  over- 
reaching ;  in  short,  so  much  selfishness  and  sus- 
picion, that  you  will  find  it  a  relief  to  fall  back  upon 
the  simplicity,  the  frankness,  the  open-heartedness, 
and  unsuspecting  disposition  of  young  people. 
Youth  has  a  thousand  faults,  but  they  are  the  faults 
of  the  moment,  and  you  seldom  find  among  the  thou- 


120       ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN? 

sand  a  deliberate  determination  to  seek  an  advan- 
tage at  your  expense.  How  often,  when  my  heart 
has  been  aching  at  the  cold,  suspicious,  calculating 
selfishness  of  maturity,  have  I  gazed  on  the  open 
brow,  the  unsuspecting  simplicity,  and  confiding 
faith,  visible  in  the  countenance  of  childhood,  with 
an  emotion  of  admiration  and  affection.  In  such 
seasons  I  could  have  snatched  the  little  lovely  ones 
before  me  to  my  arms. 

Oh,  there  is  much  in  childhood  that  we  ought  to 
love  ;  much  in  the  guileless  spirit  of  children  that 
we  ought  to  practise  in  riper  years  :  for  my  own 
part,  I  love  such  scenes  as  call  forth  my  affections 
towards  young  people,  either  in  their  infancy  or 
their  youth.  I  love  the  old  ballad  of  "  The  Chil- 
dren in  the  Wood,"  though  there  may  not  be  a 
word  of  truth  in  the  whole  story.  How  affectingly 
the  pretty  babes  are  set  forth,  wandering  hand-in- 
hand  in  their  forlorn  condition, — 

"  Their  pretty  lips  with  'blackberries 

Were  all  besmeared  and  dyed  ; 
And  when  they  saw  the  darksome  night, 

They  sat  them  down  and  cried." 

"  No  burial  this  pretty  pair 

Of  any  man  receives, 
Till  Robin  Redbreast  painfully 

Did  cover  them  with  leaves."  ' 

There  is  a  sweet  piece  of  poetry  by  Mrs.  Opie, 
called  "  The  Orphan  Boy ;"  and  a  still  sweeter 
piece  by  the  poet  Wordsworthj  under  the  title  "  We 


ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN  1  121 

are  Seven."  You,  perhaps,  know  them  both.  In 
the  former,  we  are  led  to  pity  a  poor,  little,  unpro- 
tected boy  ;  and,  in  the  latter,  to  admire  the  sim- 
plicity of  a  cottage  girl,  who  cannot  be  persuaded 
that  because  she  has  a  brother  and  sister  in  heaven, 
they  are  not,  still,  a  part  of  the  cottage  family.  I 
read  this  latter  piece  with  the  same  emotion  with 
which  I  read  it  in  my  youth,  and  it  makes  my 
heart  yearn  towards  the  dear  little  prattler,  who 
will  have  her  way,  and  who  will  not  consent  to  be 
robbed  of  her  brother  and  sister. 

There  is  a  painting,  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds, 
I  believe,  or  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  I  forget  which, 
of  the  child  Samuel  at  prayer.  If  you  have  not 
seen  it,  very  likely  you  have  met  with  a  print  of  it 
in  the  shop  windows  ;  a  sweet  pretty  picture  it  is. 
Little  Samuel  is  kneeling  in  his  night  clothes,  with 
his  hands  raised  in  supplication,  a  beam  from  above 
falling  full  on  his  head  ;  I  have  a  copy  of  it  framed 
and  glazed,  hanging  up  at  the  present  time  in  my 
bed-room,  and  often  do  I  look  upon  it  with  plea- 
sure. Moses  in  the  bull-rushes,  too,  is  a  favourite 
subject  with  most  of  us,  and  I  frequently  call  it  to 
my  remembrance.  The  danger  of  the  poor  babe 
endears  him  to  us,  and  though  we  are  aware  that 
his  own  mother  is  not  far  off,  and  that  his  own  sis- 
ter is  watching  over  him,  we  seem  hardly  to  be 
satisfied  without  watching  over  him  ourselves. 
Now  if  I,  by  dwelling  upon  such  scenes  as  these, 
or  any  other  of  a  like  kind,  which  I  may  happen 
11 


122       ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN? 

to  meet,  keep  my  affections  alive  towards  young 
people,  let  not  the  hint  be  lost  upon  you.  The 
same  thing  may  be  done  by  you  with  the  same  ad- 
vantage. 

Surely  if  you  do  not  love  children,  a  little  con- 
sideration on  their  helplessness,  simplicity,  open- 
heartedness,  and  teachableness  will  move  your 
affections  ;  and  if  you  do  love  them,  it  will  make 
you  love  them  better  than  before.  Had  not  our 
Saviour  loved  them  he  would  not  have  said,  "  Suffei 
the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them 
not ;  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God." 

But  now  let  me  take  it  for  granted  that  you  do 
love  children,  and  that  you  are  both  willing  and 
anxious  to  do  them  all  the  good  you  can  by  in- 
structing them  zealously,  bearing  with  them  pa- 
tiently, reproving  them  kindly,  and  encouraging 
them  cheerfully.  You  have  not  forgotten  the  proof 
required  of  Peter  of  his  love  for  his  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter. "  Feed  my  lambs,"  and  as  you  profess  to  love 
the  same  Lord,  offer  him  then,  the  same  proof  of 
your  sincerity. 

Perhaps  one  way  of  attaching  you  more  to  your 
scholars,  and  making  you  think  less  of  the  inatten- 
tion and  bad  behaviour  you  may  at  times  meet  with 
from  them,  may  be  this, — to  bear  in  mind  how 
much  worse  other  scholars  have  behaved  than 
yours,  and  how  much  more  other  Sunday  school 
teachers  have  to  endure  and  overcome  than  the 


^ 


ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN?       123 

comparatively  little  difficulties  you  have  had  to 
encounter. 

Think  of  the  attempts  which  have  been  made  at 
various  times  to  educate,  on  the  Sabbath,  the 
thoughtless  and  wicked  children  of  thoughtless  and 
wicked  parents.  You  may  have  scholars  who  ab- 
sent themselves  from  school  on  trifling  accounts, 
but  you  never  hear  of  their  being  at  the  police  sta- 
tion, confined  in  Newgate,  or  labouring  at  the 
tread-mill.  Though  this  is  not  the  case  with  your 
scholars,  it  has  been  the  case  with  others. 

You  may  have  met  with  a  scholar  who  has  not 
behaved  to  you  respectfully,  but  hardly  have  you,  I 
think,  ever  been  laughed  and  grinned  at  to  your 
face.  Hardly  have  you  seen  a  scholar  throw  his 
heels  over  his  head  in  school,  to  raise  a  laugh 
among  his  playmates  ;  nor  is  it  likely,  when  you 
have  directed  a  boy  to  follow  you,  that  he  has  done 
so  walking  along  the  school  on  his  hands,  with  his 
heels  in  the  air,  instead  of  walking  on  his  feet. 
Though  this  has  never  occurred  at  your  schools,  it 
has  occurred  elsewhere. 

Occasional  noises  may  be  indulged  in  by  some 
of  the  careless  scholars,  whom  you  have  to  instruct ; 
but  it  is  not  probable  that  in  the  season  of  prayer 
and  praise  they  have  ever  whistled  and  screamed, 
and  catcalled  one  to  another  to  break  up  the  school, 
singing  indecent  songs,  and  tumbling  the  forms 
over  on  the  floor;  but  if  these  things   have  not 


124       ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN? 

taken  place  among  your  boys,  other  school-boys 
have  had  recourse  to  them. 

Not  yet,  I  suppose,  have  you  ever  had  scholars 
so  full  of  deceit,  as  to  pretend,  though  they  could 
read,  they  knew  not  a  letter,  and  that  merely  to 
give  you  trouble,  and  laugh  at  you  for  being  so 
easily  deceived.  You  have  not,  I  dare  say,  had  for 
scholars  known  thieves,  who  had  no  homes  but  the 
shelter  afforded  by  carts,  sheds,  and  pig-sties,  and 
no  employment  but  stealing  ;  nor  can  I  conceive 
it  a  probable  case  that  you  have  a  scholar  who  has 
attempted  to  take  away  the  life  of  another  ;  but 
though  you  have  never  had  such  reprobates  to  in- 
struct, other  Sunday  school  teachers  have.  While 
you  reflect,  then,  on  the  thoughtless  depravity  of 
such  young  people  as  I  have  described,  and  on  the 
trying  and  painful  situation  of  their  kind  instructors, 
think  less  of  your  difficulties,  think  better  of  your 
scholars,  love  them,  and  double  your  wonted  dili- 
gence in  doing  them  good. 

While  trying  to  love  them,  fail  not  to  try  also  to 
make  them  love  you,  and  to  act  with  habitual  kind- 
ness one  towards  another.  A  spirit  of  discernment  is 
necessary  when  dealing  with  young  people,  to  ena- 
ble us  to  know  when  to  commend  and  when  to  re- 
prove ;  for  their  apparent  kindness  to  one  another, 
sometimes,  springs  from  a  bad  motive,  while,  at 
others,  their  very  errors  arise  from  good  affections. 
I  have  known  boys  act  kindly  to  others,  simply  that 
they  might  prevail  on  them  afterwards  to  do  things 


*  ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN"^       125 

that  were  evil,  or  that  they  might  obtain  some  end 
of  their  own  ;  and  I  have  also  known  boys  to  do  im- 
proper things  from  the  real  kindness  of  their  hearts. 
As  an  instance  of  the  latter  sort,  a  school-boy  whom 
I  knew,  out  of  gratitude  to  one  who  had  helped  him 
in  his  lessons,  absolutely  stole  from  a  neighbouring 
garden  some  fine  Orlean  plumbs  to  present  them  to 
his  friend.  A  sad  proof  that  kindness  of  heart,  as 
well  as  unkindness,  may  manifest  itself  in  a  very 
improper  manner, 

I  will  relate  here  a  story  that  I  have  met  with, 
which  places  in  a  clear  point  of  view  the  possibility 
of  good  affections  and  kind  intentions,  when  not  re- 
gulated by  prudence  and  controlled  by  principle, 
leading  to  the  commission  of  crime. 

It  happened,  says  the  story,  that  a  gentleman 
had  an  unusual  abundance  of  fine  grapes  in  his  hot- 
house, and  his  gardener  boasted  far  and  near,  that 
such  grapes  were  not  to  be  had  in  the  country. 
This  information  soon  reached  the  ears  of  a  numer- 
ous gang  of  gipsies,  who  had  encamped  on  the  skirt 
of  the  common  hard  by. 

The  gipsies  had  boiled  their  evening  pot  sus- 
pended from  three  sticks  ;  they  had  supped,  played 
on  the  fiddle,  and  retired  to  rest,  some  under  the 
tent,  some  stretched  at  full  length  under  an  old  oak 
tree,  and  some  lay  round  the  cart  by  the  side  of 
their  donkeys. 

The  old  mother  gipsy  was  very  ill,  indeed  it  was 
thought  she  was  at  the  point  of  death,  but  that  did 
11* 


126       ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN?  i 

not  restrain  the  rest  of  the  gang  from  following  out 
their  reckless  pursuits  and  light-hearted  mirth. 
For  some  time  the  old  woman  could  eat  nothing 
that  the  gang  could  bring  her,  at  last  she  cried  out 
for  grapes. 

At  dead  of  night,  when  the  stars  were  visible  in 
the  sky,  and  all  was  silent  around,  a  stout  young 
man  gently  stole  away  from  the  encampment, 
passed  down  the  dark  lane,  and  tearing  a  stake  from 
the  hedge,  proceeded  on  his  way  to  the  gentleman's 
garden.  The  wall  was  high,  but  he  soon  clam- 
bered over  it ;  in  another  minute  or  two  he  had 
found  his  way  to  the  glass  door  of  the  hot-house. 

No  sooner  had  the  young  gipsy  placed  his  stake 
under  the  door,  and  wrenched  it  open,  than  a  wire 
fastened  to  it,  set  a  large  bell  at  the  top  of  the  hot- 
house ringing  ;  turning  round  hastily  to  make  his 
escape,  he  was  confronted  by  two  men  who  at  that 
moment,  from  different  directions,  arrived  at  the 
spot.  Accustomed  to  danger,  he  lost  not  his  self- 
possession,  but  resolutely  attacked  them,  when  a 
blow  from  one  of  them  dashed  him  back  against 
the  glass  door  ;  in  a  moment,  however,  he  again 
grappled  with  his  opponents,  and  all  three  struggled 
for  their  lives. 

The  ringing  bell,  and  the  jingling  glass,  soon 
brought  half  a  dozen  servants  to  the  scene  of  con- 
tention, when  the  light  of  a  lantern  discovered  to 
them  three  men  throttling  each  other  on  the 
ground. 


ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN  ?       127 

The  servants  dragged  them  asunder,  and  led  them 
away,  one  by  one,  to  different  places  of  security  for 
the  night ;  but  what  was  the  surprise  of  the  culprits 
in  the  morning  to  find,  when  placed  together,  with 
their  hands  tied  behind  them,  that  they  all  belonged 
to  the  same  gang.  The  old  father  gipsy  had  re- 
solved, cost  what  it  would,  to  get  a  few  bunches  of 
the  best  grapes  in  the  country  for  his  dying  wife  ; 
and  his  two  sons,  unknown  to  him  and  to  each 
other,  had  also  formed  the  same  resolution  for  the 
sake  of  their  dying  mother. 

It  was  a  daring  enterprise,  and  one  that,  under 
common  circumstances,  would  have  been  visited 
with  great  severity  ;  but  so  pleased  was  the  gentle- 
man with  the  attachment  of  the  gipsies  to  their  aged 
and  dying  relative,  that,  after  inquiring  into  the 
truth  of  their  statement,  and  giving  them  suitable 
reproof,  in  which  he  pointed  out  how  much  better 
it  would  have  been  to  have  made  known  to  him  the 
object  they  had  in  view,  than  to  break  the  laws  of 
God  and  man,  he  pardoned  their  crime  in  admira- 
tion of  their  affection,  sending  them  away  laden 
with  the  best  grapes  his  hot-house  would  afford. 

If  you  l^ve  ever  met  with  temptations,  and  tri- 
als, and  difficulties,  in  obtaining  what  knowledge 
you  possess,  forget  not  that  your  scholars  are  ex- 
posed to  the  same  temptations  and  trials,  and  that 
many  of  your  difficulties  with  regard  to  the  ac- 
quirement of  knowledge,  they  have  to  surmount  ; 
this  should  call  forth  your  sympathy  in  their  be 


128       ARE  YOU  FOND  OF  CHILDREN? 

half,  and  bind  you  to  them  with  an  affectionate  in- 
terest in  their  welfare  ;  and  if  you  have  met  with 
forbearance  and  encouragement,  and  kindness,  then 
are  you  doubly  called  upon  to  exercise  these  quali 
ties  to  those  you  teach.  I  hope  you  are  fond  of 
children ;  I  hope  you  are  fond  of  Sunday  scholars  , 
and  I  hope  that  you  are  especially  fond  of  those 
who  are  under  your  care. 

Whenever  we  are  disposed  to  "provoke  one 
another  to  love  and  to  good  works,"  we  never  need 
stand  still  a  single  moment  for  a  motive ;  for  we 
are  under  such  immeasurable  obligations  to  the 
Father  of  mercies  for  all  his  goodness  to  us,  and 
especially  for  the  gift  of  his  Son,  that  every  faculty 
of  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  should  be  at  all  times 
ready  to  be  employed  in  the  acknowledgement  of 
what  we  owe.  "  Ye  know,"  says  the  apostle,  "the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he'was 
rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye 
through  his  poverty  might  be  rich."  2  Cor.  vjii,  9. 
Think  it  not,  then,  too  much  to  do  your  utmost  for 
your  scholars,  for  many  of  them  may  be  numbered 
here  among  the  disciples  of  the  Redeemer,  and  be 
welcomed  hereafter  as  heirs  of  the  ^gdom  of 
heaven. 


XIII. 

CAN  YOU  MAKE  SACRIFICES'? 

It  is  a  much  easier  thing  to  give  a  useful  hint  to 
one  with  whose  age,  habits,  and  circumstances  we 
are  acquainted,  than  it  is  to  offer  suitable  sugges- 
tions to  many,  whose  ages,  habits,  and  circum- 
stances are  various.  In  the  first  case,  we  aim  as  it 
were  with  a  rifle  ;  in  the  last,  we  fire  as  with  a 
scattering  blunderbuss.  When  I  take  up  my  pen 
to  address  Sunday  school  teachers,  I  usually  say  to 
myself,  many  are  addressed  by  me,  but  I  can  hardly 
hope  to  benefit  more  than  a  few. 

I  hope  that  in  the  midst  of  your  Sunday  school 
occupations,  while  setting  the  machinery  of  your 
classes  in  motion,  and  attending  to  its  details,  I  hope 
that  you  continue  to  ask  yourselves  what  is  the  pre- 
vailing motive  that  Sunday  after  Sunday  carries 
you  through  your  duties  ?  Oh,  it  is  a  glorious 
thing  to  have  a  good  and  benevolent  motive  in  a 
good  and  benevolent  cause. 

If  ever  travelling  on  horseback  when  your  poor 
jaded  beast  could  hardly  make  a  trot  of  it,  you  have 
baited  him  at  the  road  side  inn,  giving  him  a 
draught  of  water  and  a  half-peck  or  at  least  a  full 
quarter,  of  good  sound  oats  with  a  few  beans  in  it — 
if  you  have  ever  done  this,  you  must  have  remarked 


/30  CAN   YOU   MAKE    SACRIFICES? 

how  amazingly  the  strength  and  courage  of  the 
animal  has  been  increased  by  the  corn  within  him : 
talk  of  trotting !  why,  he  would  have  trotted,  can- 
tered, or  galloped  with  you  at  once,  just  which  you 
would,  without  whip  or  spur,  for  his  spirit  was  equal 
to  anything.  As  corn  to  the  horse,  so  is  a  motive 
to  the  man.  With  a  good  motive  in  vigorous  opera- 
tion in  your  hearts,  you  will  be  equal  to  pursue 
your  object  through  fire  and  water. 

Among  the  many  questions  that  I  have  asked 
you,  the  inquiry,  Can  you  make  sacrifices  ?  has  not, 
I  think,  yet  been  made.  It  is  true,  that,  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  your  very  taking  on  yourselves  the  of- 
fice of  Sunday  school  teachers  is  an  answer  to  my 
question  ;  for  every  Sabbath. day  you  are  making  a 
sacrifice,  in  giving  time  to  others  which  might  be  de- 
voted more  especially  to  your  own  advantage  or  gra- 
tification ;  yet  still  it  is  very  possible,  that  a  Sunday 
school  teacher  may  be  somewhat  backward  to  make 
sacrifices.  Self-denial  is  a  christian  virtue  too  ex- 
cellent to  be  disregarded ;  and  self-denial  cannot  be 
practised  without  making  a  sacrifice. 

As  I  have  said  before,  every  good  quality  you 
get  into  your  hearts  will  enable  you  the  better  to 
instruct  your  scholars.  If  you  possess  self-denial, 
and  can  make  sacrifices,  you  will  the  more  easily 
practise  punctuality,  patience,  forbearance,  and  per- 
severance. What  you  do  will  not  be  done  grudg- 
ingly:  what  time  and  attention  you  bestow,  will 
be  given  willingly ;  and  in  these  offerings,  as  well 
8 


CAN   YOU   MAKE    SACRIFICES?  131 

as  in  those  of  silver  and  gold,  "  God  loveth  a  cheer- 
ful giver." 

When  I  think  of  a  Sunday  school  teacher,  I  love 
to  give  him  credit  for  every  warm-hearted  affection 
and  christian  grace  ;  to  picture  him  out  not  only 
doing  his  duty,  but  doing  it  with  alacrity ;  undis- 
mayed by  difficulties ;  unsubdued  by  disappoint- 
ment, winning  his  way  through  unexpected  obsta- 
cles, and  running  with  diligence  the  race  that  is  set 
before  him,  ready  to  make  sacrifices,  and  to  endure 
hardness  as  a  good  soldier  fighting  manfully  in  the 
good  cause  in  which  he  is  enlisted.  Such  an  one 
will  fling  around  and  propagate  his  own  good 
qualities,  and  there  will  be  in  his  class  a  reality, 
a  life,  and  a  spirit,  which  otherwise  will  be  looked 
for  in  vain. 

I  have  been  casting  about  for  the  most  striking 
instance  on  record,  of  men  being  willing  to  make 
sacrifices,  for  the  good  of  their  fellow  men.  Eng- 
land is  famed  for  many  virtues,  but  it  is  not  among 
English  people  that  I  have  found  it.  Though  the 
instance  to  which  I  allude  may  be  known  to  many 
of  you,  it  is  not  likely  to  be  known  to  all ;  I  will, 
therefore,  venture  to  relate  it. 

About  five  hundred  years  ago,  Edward,  then  king 
of  England,  besieged  Calais ;  when  the  French 
inhabitants  being  shut  up  by  land  and  water,  were 
put  to  such  great  straits,  that  they  wrote  to  Philip 
their  monarch  to  say,  that  they  had  "  eaten  their 
horses,  their  dogs,  and  all  the  unclean  animals  they 


132  CAN    YOU    MAKE    SACRIFICES? 

could  find,  and  nothing  remained  but  to  eat  each 
•other." 

Though  things  had  come  to  such  a  pass  there 
was  no  relief  afforded  them  ;  so  that  Sir  John  of 
Vienne,  the  captain  of  Calais,  went  to  the  walls  of  the 
town,  and  there  spoke  to  Sir  Walter,  of  Manny,  tel- 
ling him,  that  in  the  fulfilment  of  their  duty  they  had 
stood  out  until  they  were  in  extremity,  but  that  they 
were  then  ready  to  give  up  the  place,  on  condition 
of  being  permitted  to  depart  in  safety.  This  was  re- 
fused, for  the  English  king,  being  enraged  by  the 
mischief  done  by  the  people  of  Calais,  and  the  ex- 
pense to  which  he  had  been  put  by  them,  resolved 
to  compel  them  to  surrender,  that  he  might  put  to 
death  as  many  as  he  pleased,  and  ransom  as  many 
as  he  pleased.  At  last,  however,  he  so  far  relented 
as  to  say,  that  on  condition  of  six  of  the  principal 
burgesses  of  the  town  coming  out  bare-headed,  bare- 
footed, bare-legged,  and  in  their  shirts,  with  halters 
about  their  necks,  and  the  keys  of  the  town  and 
castle  in  their  hands,  to  be  dealt  with  after  his  plea- 
sure, the  rest  should  find  mercy. 

These  were  hard  conditions,  for  how  was  it  to  be 
expected  that  six  rich  citizens  would  offer  up  their 
lives  for  the  rest ;  nevertheless,  six  such  were  to  be 
found.  Eustace  de  St.  Pierre  was  the  first  to  come 
forward,  declaring  his  trust  in  the  Lord  God,  and 
his  willingness  to  jeopardize  his  life.  Whether  or 
not  a  monument  was  erected  to  commemorate  this 
generous  and  patriotic  action  I  cannot  tell,  but  I  am 


CAN    YOU   MAKE    SACRIFICES?  133 

sure  there  ought  to  have  been  one  in  Parian  marble. 
Jehan  D'Aire  was  the  next,  and  he  was  followed 
by  Jaques  de  Wisant,  and  Peter  his  brother,  and 
two  others,  and  these  six  notable  burgesses,  for  the 
love  they  bare  to  their  country  and  the  city  wherein 
they  dwelt,  went  out  of  the  gates  to  the"  English 
party,  bare-headed,  bare-footed,  and  bare-legged,  in  • 
their  shirts,  and  with  halters  round  their  necks,  to 
save  the  lives  of  the  men,  women,  and  children  of 
Calais.  The  English  earls  and  barons  wept  for 
pity  at  the  sight  of  them  ;  but  the  king  ordered  their 
heads  to  be  struck  off  Sir  Walter,  of  Manny,  sued 
for  them  in  God's  name  ;  but  the  king  would  not 
hear  him,  calling  out  for  the  hangman ;  at  last,  the 
queen  herself  kneeled  down  to  intercede  for  them, 
and  then  king  Edward  gave  way,  and  spared  their 
lives. 

I  know  not  how  this  matter  affects  you,  but  for 
myself  I  feel  an  unbounded  sympathy  and  respect 
for  these  men.  When  a  man  talks  about  serving 
his  country  by  plunging  into  battle,  be  he  in  the 
ranks,  or  at  the  head  of  an  army,  he  has  something 
beside  the  love  of  his  country  to  animate  his  cou- 
rage :  he  hopes  to  escape  without  injury  ;  and  then 
there  is  the  glory,  and  the  prize-money  he  desires 
to  obtain ;  but  these  men,  with  the  instruments  of 
death  ready  round  their  necks,  gave  themselves  up 
to  their  enemies  to  sacrifice  their  lives,  for  the  wel- 
fare of  their  fellow  men. 

Now  I  want  this  relation  to  be  a  means  of  calling 
12 


134  CAN   YOU    MAKE    SACRIFICES? 

up  within  you  a  willingness,  yea,  a  desire,  to  make 
sacrifices :  I  could  blush  for  my  own  demerits  in 
this  respect.  How  long  have  I  lived  in  the  world, 
and  how  few,  how  very  few,  have  been  my  sacri- 
fices, compared  with  the  abundant  mercies  of  which 
I  have  partaken.  Why  should  we  be  outdone  by 
•Frenchmen  in  making  sacrifices  ? 

Some  years  ago,  Napoleon  Buonaparte,  who  was 
then  Emperor  of  the  French,  invaded  Russia,  with 
a  great  army.  Ambition  is  never  ssttisfied  ;  and  if 
Napoleon  had  conquered  Russia,  no  doubt  he  would 
still  have  desired  to  add  to  his  possessions.  Russia, 
as  you  know,  is  a  very  cold  country,  and  the  win- 
ters there  are  so  severe,  that  those  who  have  not 
been  accustomed  to  such  a  climate  cannot  endure  it 
without  much  suffering.  It  was  Napoleon's  inten- 
tion to  get  all  his  great  army  into  the  city  of  Mos- 
cow, where  they  might  be  snug  and  comfortable  till 
the  cold  weather  had  gone  by,  and  then  he  purposed 
to  march  onwards,  and  to  take  Petersburg,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  country. 

Now  the  Russians,  finding  themselves  in  a  des- 
perate situation,  determined  to  deliver  themselves  by 
a  great  sacrifice.  They  knew  that  if  they  were  to 
destroy  the  city  of  Moscow  before  the  French  got 
possession  of  it,  that  their  enemies  would  have  no 
place  of  shelter,  and  that  they  would,  in  all  proba- 
bility, perish  in  the  frost  and  snow.  Now  Moscow 
was  an  ancient  and  splendid  city  ;  but  great  as  the 
sacrifice  would  be  to  destroy  it,  they  were  deter- 


CAN   YOU    MAKE    SACRIFICES?  135 

mined  it  should  be  made ;  and  soon  they  set  Mos- 
cow all  in  flames.  It  burned  for  a  long  time,  the 
fire  raging  day  after  day,  with  a  broad  black  cloud 
of  smoke  ascending  from  the  ruins.  Napoleon  and 
his  soldiers  were  at  their  wit's  end.  They  were 
obliged  to  quit  Russia,  but  very  few  of  them  got 
back  to  their  own  country  again. 

Here,  again,  I  cannot  but  admire  the  patriotism 
and  wisdom  manifested  on  a  trying  occasion  ;  and 
though  this  Russian  instance  of  making  a  sacrifice 
equals  not  the  former  one,  in  benevolence  of  design 
and  princeliness  of  spirit,  yet  is  it  well  calculated  to 
call  forth  our  unfeigned  admiration.  I  want  this 
recital  also  to  be  influential  in  persuading  you  to 
acts  of  self-denial  and  disinterestedness.  Why 
should  we  be  outdone  by  the  Russians  in  making 
sacrifices  ? 

It  is  not  very  probable  that  you  will  ever  be 
called  upon  either  to  make  the  sacrifice  of  your 
lives,  for  the  good  of  others,  or  that  of  your  habita- 
tion and  property ;  but  in  a  hundred  instances  sacri- 
fices may  be  made,  and  self-denial  practised  by  you, 
to  the  good  of  your  scholars  and  the  glory  of  the 
Redeemer. 

Oh,  what  a  sacrifice  was  that  made  by  the  Sa- 
viour of  sinners,  when  he  oflered  himself  on  the 
cross !  Surely  it  should  make  us  ready,  willing, 
yea,  even  desirous  to  give  up  our  own  will,  to  prac- 
tise largely  self-denial,  and  to  ofler  freely  such  rea- 
sonable sacrifices  as  are  in  our  power,  for  the  wel- 


1 36  CAN   YOU   MAKE    SACRIFICES  ? 

fare  of  all  around  us.  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
friends."  John  xv.  13.  "But  God  commendeth 
his  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sin- 
ners, Christ  died  for  us."  Rom.  v.  8.  That  Sun- 
day school  teacher  is  most  likely  to  make  sacrifices 
for  his  scholars,  who  offers  up  to  his  heavenly 
Father  the  sacrifices  required  by  him.  "  The 
sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit:  a  broken  and 
a  contrite  heart,  0  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise." 
Psalm  li.  17. 

The  selfishness  of  the  human  heart  is  frightful ; 
and,  on  this  very  account,  it  is  more  necessary  to 
learn  to  make  sacrifices.  Such  sacrifices  are  for 
our  good,  and  if  made  in  humble  acknowledgment 
of  God's  goodness  to  us,  they  will  not  be  made  in 
vain.  You  have  read,  that  "  He  that  hath  pity  on 
the  poor  lendeth  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  that  which  he 
hath  given  will  he  pay  him  again."  Prov,  xix. 
1 7.  Now,  if  He,  whose  are  the  silver  and  the  gold, 
will  regard  favourably  the  pound  or  the  penny 
given  to  the  poor,  he  is  not  likely  unfavourably  to 
regard  the  more  costly  sacrifices  made  by  a  chris- 
tian-hearted  Sunday  school  teacher.  While  I  pen 
down  these  remarks,  I  have  in  my  remembrance 
the  sculptured  figures  of  a  boy  and  girl,  set  up  in 
front  of  a  charity  school.  Often,  in  the  days  of  my 
youth,  did  I  stop  to  gaze  upon  them  with  pleasure. 
Under  the  one  was  the  inscription,  "  Train  up  a 
child  in  the  way  he  should  go  ;  and  when  he  is  old, 


CAN   YOU    MAKE    SACRIFICES?  137 

he  will  not  depart  from  it:"  and  under  the  other, 
"  We  cannot  recompense  you,  but  ye  shall  be  re- 
compensed at  the  resurrection  of  the  just." 

To  their  credit  be  it  spoken,  there  are  thousands 
of  Sunday  school  teachers  who  are  ready  to  make 
sacrifices.  The  following  quotation  I  make  from 
one,  whose  sentiments  I  have  read  with  respect  and 
pleasure.  He  is  speaking  of  a  teacher,  who,  with 
his  whole  heart  and  soul,  enters  into  the  work  of 
Sunday  schools : — 

"  It  is  no  Utopian  idea,  that  there  are  thousands 
of  such  men,  to  whom  the  return  of  the  Sabbath 
day  labours  affords  far  sweeter  exhilaration  of  spirit, 
than  the  most  novel  sight  and  pleasing  excursion 
of  the  worldly  Sabbath  breaker.  Such  a  man  en- 
gages in  his  labour  with  the  words  of  his  Divine 
Master  on  his  lips,  '  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  O 
God.'  No  one  drives  him  to  his  work  ;  his  law  is 
love,  and  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  divine  law; 
hence  he  may  add,  '  thy  law  is  wnthin  my  heart.' 
He  does  not  say,  '  I  am  a  free  agent,  and  no  one 
has  any  control  over  me,  I  may  do  as  little  or 
as  much  as  I  like,  and  either  work  or  let  it  alone, 
at  pleasure.  He  has  consecrated  his  service  to 
the  Lord,  and  his  heart  is  as  much  bound  to  it  as  if 
he  had  made  the  vow  of  the  Nazarite,  not  to  be 
broken." 

Yes,  such  a  Sunday  school  teacher  as  this  will 
make  sacrifices,  and  make  them  gladly.  Where 
his  work  is,  there  he  will  be.  He  will  give  up 
12* 


138      DO  YOU  KNOW  THAT  KNOWLEDGE 

his  enjoyments,  or,  rather,  he  will  seek  them 
among  his  scholars ;  he  will  give  up  his  time 
cheerfully ;  enduring  with  self-denial  the  crowded 
room,  the  hot  breath  of  an  assembled  muhitude, 
and  the  hum  and  bustle  attendant  on  a  youthful 
throng.  He  will  regard  his  scholars  with  affec- 
tion, and  oft-times,  while  his  heart  is  with  them, 
his  hope  will  look  beyond  them,  and  he  will  see 
among  them  the  white  robed  inhabitants  of  a  world 
of  glory,  faces  and  forms,  not  unlike  the  forms 
and  faces  of  those  whom  he  has  taught  to  read 
the  word  of  God,  and  to  sing  the  praises  of  the 
Redeemer. 


XIV. 

DO  YOU  KNOW  THAT  KNOWLEDGE  IS  NOT 
WISDOM  1 

Among  the  many  things  with  which  you  are 
acquainted,  Do  yoit  know  that  knowledge  is  not 
wisdom  ?  Have  you  such  a  clear  conception  in 
this  respect,  that  you  are  not  likely  to  commit  an 
error  ? 

I  once  knew  two  twins  so  much  alike,  that, 
when  apart,  one  was  often  taken,  or  rather  mistaken, 
for  the  other.     The  height,  the  colour  of  the  hair 


IS   NOT   WISDOM?  139 

and  eyes,  the  dimple  in  the  cheek,  and  the  fair  fore- 
head were  the  same  in  both,  so  that  even  when  they 
were  seen  together  there  was  hardly  any  visible 
difference.  As  in  the  case  of  these  twins  so  it  is 
with  many  qualities  or  attainments  of  the  mind  ; 
they  are  mistaken  for  one  another  ;  and  it  is  thus 
with  no  two  attainments  more  frequently  than  it  is 
with  knowledge  and  wisdom. 

But  though  so  frequently  regarded  as  one  and 
the  same  thing,  it  is  possible  to  abound  in  know- 
ledge and  be  yet  very  deficient  in  wisdom, 

"  Knowledge  and  wisdom,  far  from  being  one, 
Have  oft-times  no  connexion.     Knowledge  dwells 
In  heads  replete  with  thoughts  of  other  men ; 
Wisdom  in  minds  attentive  to  their  own. 
Knowledge,  a  rude  unprofitable  mass, 
The  mere  materials  with  which  wisdom  builds, 
Till  smoothed  and  squared,  and  fitted  to  its  place, 
Does  but  encumber  whom  it  seem'd  to  enrich. 
Knowledge  is  proud  that  he  has  learned  so  much ; 
Wisdom  is  humble  that  he  knows  no  more." 

I  hardly  know  a  more  melancholy  sight  than  that 
of  one,  who,  puffed  up  with  his  knowledge,  ima- 
gines himself  to  be  wise,  while  all  around  are 
lamenting  his  want  of  judgment  and  consistency. 
This  is  bad  enough  in  any  one,  but  in  him  who 
undertakes  to  give  instruction  to  others  it  is  doubly 
to  be  regretted.  If  any  of  you  have  fallen  into 
this  error,  well  will  it  be,  if  you  give  neither  sleep 
to  your  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  your  eyelids,  till  you 


140     DO  YOU  KNOW  THAT  KNOWLEDGE 

have  resolved  to  correct  it :  before  this  can  be  done, 
however,  you  must  be  fully  convinced  of  your 
mistake. 

Wisdom  is  knowledge  properly  applied,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  union  of  knowledge  with  judgment. 
Were  we  to  load  a  simpleton  with  learned  books, 
or  to  teach  him  to  repeat  their  contents,  he  would 
in  neither  case  be  wise.  Whether  he  carried  the 
books  on  his  back,  or  the  contents  in  his  head,  if  he 
had  not  judgment  he  would  still  be  a  simpleton.  A 
parrot  may  repeat  wise  words,  but  they  render  the 
bird  not  a  whit  the  wiser. 

Knowing,  as  I  do,  that  there  is  hardly  an  error 
more  common  among  young  people  than  that  of 
supposing  they  know  much,  because  they  know  a 
little,  and  of  believing  themselves  wise,  because 
they  have  made  some  progress  in  knowledge,  I  am 
solicitous,  again  and  again,  to  point  out  to  you  the 
danger  you  are  in,  in  order  that  it  may  be  avoided. 
Why  should  you  be  spoiled  in  your  youth,  and  the 
fair  promise  of  a  useful  manhood  be  scattered  to  the 
winds  ? 

The  best  reproof  that  I  remember  to  have  read 
of  that  foolish  youthful  vanity,  which  has  led  thou- 
sands astray,  by  pursuading  them  they  were  men 
when  they  were  boys  ;  that  they  were  wise  when 
they  were  really  ignorant,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
"Children's  Friend."  Valentine,  a  gentleman's 
son,  who  gives  himself  many  airs  on  account  of  his 
fancied  knowledge  and  wisdom,  derides  Michael,  a 


I&  NOT   WISDOM?  .     141 

country  lad,  on  account  of  his  hard  hands,  and  des- 
pises him  and  calls  him  a  fool,  because  he  is  igno- 
rant of  books,  and  cannot  tell  how  big  the  moon  is. 

Valentine,  in  order  that  his  parents  may  imagine 
he  has  lost  himself  in  a  fit  of  study,  walks  into  a 
wood  and  loses  himself  in  reality.  Night  comes  on, 
and  he  begins  to  cry  ;  for  he  finds  that  with  all  his 
fancied  knowledge  and  superior  wisdom,  he  is  a 
poor  forlorn,  defenceless  being,  able  neither  to  find  his 
way  out  of  the  wood,  nor  to  provide  for  his  comfort 
in  it  during  the  night.  In  this  deplorable  situation 
he  hears  a  noise,  and  finds  to  his  great  joy,  that  in- 
stead of  being  seized  by  a  robber,  he  is  accosted  by 
little  Michael. 

A  wholesome,  thorough  humiliation,  is  a  nau- 
seous medicine  to  take ;  but  for  all  this,  it  is  the 
most  efficacious  to  a  mind  diseased  with  vanity. 
Ephraim  Holding  speaks  feelingly,  for  in  his  time 
he  has  fallen  into  many  of  the  errors  he  reproves, 
errors  of  which  he  would  willingly  warn  you,  and 
from  which  he  would  yet  more  willingly  preserve 
you. 

The  utter  destitution  of  Valentine,  convinces  him 
of  his  own  ignorance  and  folly,  and  the  ready  kind- 
hearted  way  in  which  Michael  provides  for  his 
wants  and  comforts,  making  him  a  fire,  and  prepar- 
ing him  a  supper  and  a  bed  in  the  wood,  convinces 
him  that  a  country  lad  may  possess  more  useful 
knowledge  than  a  gentleman's  son.     So  that  he  re- 


142     DO  YOU  KNOW  THAT  KNOWLEDGE 

turns  home  with  a  humble  and  grateful  spirit,  com- 
pletely cured  for  ever  of  his  vanity. 

It  may  be  supposed  by  some,  that  when  an  old 
man  reproves  a  young  one  for  vanity,  there  may  be 
somewhat  of  jealousy  in  the  case  ;  some  fear  that 
age  may  not  receive  the  respect  due  to  it,  nor  ex- 
perience be  estimated  according  to  its  value  ;  but  a 
little  consideration  will  show  the  folly  of  a  young 
man  supposing  that  he  is  equally  wise  with  those 
who  are  double  his  age. 

Will  any  young«man,  supposing  him  to  be  twenty 
years  of  age,  be  weak  enough  to  admit,  that  during 
the  next  twenty  years  of  his  life,  he  shall  make  no 
progress  in  knowledge  and  wisdom  ?  If  he  admits 
this,  he  must  be  weak  indeed ;  and  if  he  will  not 
admit  it,  but,  on  the  contrary,  insists  that  at  forty  he 
shall  be  much  wiser  than  at  twenty,  how  then  can 
he  refuse  to  acknowledge  that  those  who  are  forty 
are  wiser  than  he?  Think  of  this,  my  young 
friends,  for,  to  some  of  you,  it  may  prove  a  hint  not 
altogether  thrown  away.  Knowledge  and  wisdom 
are,  indeed,  different  things.  I  have  met  with 
young  people  of  twenty,  clever  at  mathematics  and 
the  classics,  who  were  mere  children  in  judgment ; 
while  I  have  known  men  of  forty,  acquainted  with 
neither  one  nor  the  other,  who  were  old  men  in  ex- 
perience and  wisdom. 

The  longer  I  live,  and  the  stronger  attachment  I 
feel  for  holy  things,  the  more  highly  do  I  estimate 
those  who  take  on  themselves  the  office  of  Sunday 


IS   NOT   WISDOM?  143 

school  teachers,  and  this  may  be  one  reason  for  my 
being  the  more  anxious  that  they  may  abound  in 
attainments,  in  wisdom,  in  piety,  and  in  humility. 
When  my  work  is  done,  may  yours  be  in  progress  ; 
and  when  my  name  is  forgotten,  may  yours  still  be 
held  in  deserved  remembrance. 

Did  you  ever  reflect  much  on  the  human  mind, 
that  wondrous  gift  bestowed  upon  man  ?  We  re- 
gard the  human  frame  with  attention,  and  observe 
how  admirably  adapted  it  is  to  the  actions  and 
functions  it  has  to  perform ;  we  cannot  but  be 
struck  with  it  as  a  piece  of  beautiful  mechanism ; 
but  the  mind,  the  infinite  mind,  is  immeasurably 
beyond  it.  Oh,  if  I  could  but  impress  you  with  a 
due  estimation  of  the  infinite  value  of  the  mind,  you 
would  regard  your  scholars  with  additional  in- 
terest, and  delight  in  imparting  to  them  sound  in- 
struction. 

"  High  walls  and  huge,  the  body  may  confine, 

And  iron  grate  obstruct  the  prisoner's  gaze, 
And  massive  bolts  may  baffle  his  design, 

And  vigilant  keepers  watch  his  devious  ways ; 
Yet  scorns  the  immortal  mind  this  base  control: 

No  chains  can  bind  it,  and  no  cell  inclose ; 
Swifter  than  light  it  flies  from  pole  to  pole, 

And  in  a  flash  from  earth  to  heaven  it  goes. 
It  leaps  from  mount  to  mount,  from  vale  to  vale. 

It  wanders,  plucking  honey'd  fruits  and  flowers ; 
It  visits  home  to  hear  the  fire-side  tale, 

Or  in  sweet  converse  pass  the  joyous  hours  j 
'Tis  up  before  the  sun,  roaming  afar; 
And  in  its  watches  wearies  every  star." 


144     DO  YOU  KNOW  THAT  KNOWLEDGE 

This  very  mind,  described  by  the  poet,  is  the 
costly  thing  under  your  care.  How  wise,  then, 
ought  you  to  be  to  direct  it,  and  how  anxious  to  im 
press  it,  to  pervade  it,  to  fill  it  with  knowledge,  wis 
dom,  virtue,  and  piety ! 

Having  taken  some  pains  to  discriminate  between 
knowledge  and  wisdom,  I  trust  that  you  will  pre- 
serve the  distinction  clear  in  your  minds.  A  mis- 
take or  misapprehension  in  this  respect,  uncorrected 
in  youth,  may  be  the  cause  of  much  confusion  in 
manhood  and  old  age.  May  it  be  yours  to  know 
and  to  practise  knowledge  and  virtue,  and  to  attain 
thafr,  wisdom  from  above,  which  is  "  pure,  peacea- 
ble, gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated ;  full  of  mercy 
and  good  fruits."  Already  has  it  been  said  by  me, 
and  I  am  not  certain  that  my  pen  has  not  repeated 
the  expression,  "  I  hold  it  as  an  axiom,  that  he  who, 
tied  and  bound  with  a  sense  of  his  deficiencies,  looks 
above  for  heavenly  aid,  with  a  heart  humble  enough 
to  feel  his  own  ignorance,  and  a  spirit  ardent  enough 
to  pursue  after  wisdom, 

Who  pants  for  knowledge,  labouring  to  be  free, 
And  says,  I  will  be  wise — wise  he  will  be. 

To  be  in  love  with  wisdom,  to  seek  for  it  as  for 
hidden  treasures,  and  to  pant  after  it  as  the  hart 
panteth  for  the  water-brooks,  is  the  case  with  com- 
paratively but  a  few ;  but  almost  all  have  a  mode- 
rate desire  to  attain  wisdom.  "  Where  shall  wis- 
dom be  found,"  saith  Job,  "  And  where  is  the  place 


IS   NOT   WISDOM?  145 

of  understanding  ?"  "  The  mouth  of  the  righteous 
speaketh  wisdom,"  saith  David,  "  and  his  tongue 
talketh  of  judgment."  "  Wisdom  is  the  principal 
thing,"  saith  Solomon,  "therefore  get  wisdom  ;  and 
with  all  t\ij  getting,  get  understanding."  "  I  thank 
thee  and  praise  thee,  O  thou  God  of  my  fathers,  who 
hast  given  me  wisdom,"  saith  Daniel.  And,  "  If 
any  of  you  lack  wisdom,"  saith  the  apostle  James, 
"  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally 
and  upbraideth  not,  and  it  shall  be  given  him." 
These  passages  of  holy  writ  point  out  how  highly 
wisdom  was  estimated  by  the  servants  of  the  Lord ; 
to  attain  it,  then,  should  be  the  object  of  our  desires. 

Power,  wealth,  and  fame,  on  other  heads  may  shine, 
But  O,  let  heavenly  wisdom  still  be  mine ! 

In  the  pursuit  of  wisdom,  the  habit  of  writing 
down  any  remarks  of  a  wise,  useful,  and  profitable 
kind,  that  we  hear  or  read,  is  a  good  one.  You 
have,  very  likely,  met  with  the  following  directions, 
for  the  proper  use  of  temporal  and  spiritual  bless- 
ings :  as  to  the  former,  "  Wish  for  them  cautiously ; 
ask  for  them  submissively  ;  want  them  contentedly  ; 
obtain  them  honestly;  accept  them  humbly ;  man- 
age them  prudently;  employ  them  lawfully;  im- 
part them  liberally  ;  esteem  them  moderately  ;  in- 
crease them  virtuously ;  use  them  subserviently ; 
forego  them  easily ;  and  resign  them  willingly." 
And  as  to  the  latter,  "  Prize  them  inestimably  ;  co- 
13 


1^6  DO   YOU   KNOW   THAT   KNOWLEDGE 

vet  tHem  earnestly  ;  seek  for  them  diligently  ;  pon- 
der them  frequently  ;  wait  "for  them  patiently  ;  ex- 
pect them  hopefully  ;  receive  them  joyfully  ;  enjoy 
thiem  thankfully ;  improve  them  carefully  ;  retain 
them  watchfully ;  plead  for  them  manfully ;  hold 
them  dependantly ;  and  grasp  them  eternally." 
The  mere  reading  and  remembering  these  excellent 
rules  will  be  knowledge  ;  but  when  judgment  is 
put  into  exercise,  fully  to  comprehend  and  practise 
them,  the  result  will  be  wisdom. 

As  wisdom  consists  more  in  judgment  than  in 
memory,  no  wonder  that  v/ise  men  should  be  slow 
to  speak  :  great  talkers  are  not  often  remarkable 
for  the  soundness  of  their  judgment  or  correctness 
of  their  opinions.  The  apostle  James's  injunction 
is,  "  Let  every  man  be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak." 
Desirable  as  it  is  that  every  one  should  be  wise,  it 
is  especially  so,  in  the  case  of  those  who  move 
among  numbers.  When  a  Sunday  school  teacher 
drops  a  wise  or  a  foolish  word,  it  may  be  picked  up 
by  the  whole  of  his  class,  and  become  a  means  of 
much  good,  or  of  much  evil.  Let  not  this  hint  be 
forgotten. 

They  who  desire  to  do  good  and  avoid  evil  will 
be  careful  of  the  words  they  speak  before  others, 
especially  on  serious  subjects. 

For  the  seeds  that  are  sown, 
When  we  talk  all  alone, 
Neither  injure  nor  benefit  any ; 


IS    NOT    WISDOM  ?  147 

But  our  words  in  a  crowd, 
Whether  low  or  aloud, 

Are  a  ban  or  a  blessing  to  many. 

Wha'tever  be  the  amount  of  knowledge  or  wisdom 
you  possess,  remember  that  true  wisdom  is  alwaj^s 
connected  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord ;  indeed,  tke 
psalmist  says,  "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  begin- 
ning of  wisdom:  a  good  understanding  have  all 
they  that  do  his  commandments."  There  is  no  bet- 
ter way  for  a  man  to  cure  himself  of  pride  on  ac- 
count of  his  wisdom,  than  to  contemplate  for  a  mo- 
ment ihe  infinite  wisdom  of  our  heavenly  Father  in- 
the  great  works  of  creation  and  redemption.  "  O 
the  depth  of  the  riches,  both  of  the  wisdom  and 
knowledge  of  God!  How  unsearchable  are  his 
judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out!" 

There  is  one  question  that  every  wise  Sunday 
school  teacher  will  put  to  himself,  and  if  every  un- 
wise one  were  to  do  the  same  thing,  it  might  be  the 
means  of  calling  up  a  profitable  reflection  ;  it  is  this : 
Am  I,  as  a  teacher,  keeping  the  main  thing  in 
view  1  Is  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  everlasting 
welfare  of  the  children  committed  to  my  charge, 
the  fi.rst  object  of  my  desire  ?  He  who  can  ask 
this  question  faithfully,  and  reply  to  it  favorably, 
though  his  knowledge  and  wisdom  be  limited,  has 
that  within  him  which  will  outweigh  all  other 
qualities  and  qualifications.  This  is  the  thing  that 
is  wanted  in  Sunday  schools  ;  this  is  a  spirit  that  will 
alone  urge  on  a  teacher  to  do  his  best  on  all  octfa- 


i48  WHAT   YOU   GAIN,    DO   YOU   RETAIN? 

sions,  and  keep  him  humble,  while  it  renders  him 
wise.  Were  this  spirit  more  widely  diffused,  and 
had  teachers  more  abundantly  that  wisdom  which 
seeketh  direction,  and  which  is  profitable  to  direct, 
then  would  the  kingdom  of  the  Redeemer  be  ex- 
tended, and  our  Sunday  schools  prosper  more  abun- 
dantly in  the  land. 


XV. 
WHAT  YOU  GAIN,  DO  YOU  RETAIN  1 

If  there  be  a  little  oddity  and  quaintness  in  the 
above  question,  it  is  less  the  effect  of  accident  than 
of  design.  A  remark  or  question  that  possesses 
some  peculiarity,  is  more  likely  to  be  remembered 
than  another.  Indeed,  I  lay  it  down  as  a  rule,  the 
result  of  some  experience,  that  a  remark,  to  secure 
the  proper  attention  of  the  reader,  must  be  either 
striking,  interesting,  or  odd.  If,  then,  my  question 
be  a  little  odd,  so  much  the  better. 

What  you  gain,  do  you  retain  ?  for  if  it  would 
be  simple  to  try  to  lade  a  pool  dry  with  a  cullender, 
or  to  labour  hard  to  fill  with  water  a  tub  which 
had  holes  at  the  bottom,  so  it  would  be  equally  un- 
wise to  give  yourselves  the  trouble  to  become  ac- 


\CHAT    YOU    GAIN,    DO    YOU    RETAIN?  149 

quainted  one  day,  with  what  you  allowed  to  escape 
from  your  memory  the  day  after. 

To  refre-sh  your  memory  on  the  subject  of  my 
homely  hints  and  observations,  I  purpose  to  take  a 
rapid  retrospect  of  them,  and  if  I  bring  them  into  a 
small  nutshell  compass,  you  will  find  them,  perhaps, 
the  less  burdensome  to  your  memory. 

How  are  you  going  about  it  ?  was  my  first  in- 
quiry, for  it  appeared  plain  to  me,  that  there  were 
bad  ways  of  doing  good  things,  and  that  good  things 
are  all  the  easier  performed,  if  set  about  in  a  proper 
spirit  and  a  proper  manner.  I  pressed  this  on  your 
consideration  in  different  ways,  and  asked  you 
whether  you  were  merely  playing  at  Sunday  school 
teaching,  or  entering  on  your  duties  in  real*  earnest. 
In  the  latter  case,  I  told  you  that  though  riches 
and  honors  during  your  lives,  and  marble  monu- 
ments in  Westminster  Abbey  after  death,  were  not 
to  be  looked  for,  you  would,  at  least,  be  approved 
by  the  wise  and  good,  possess  a  peaceful,  approving 
conscience,  and  have  the  warm  wishes,  the  true  re- 
spect, and  the  heartfelt  prayer  of  old  Ephraim 
Holding. 

Do  yon  learn  while  you  teach  ?  was  the  next 
question  I  put  to  you :  hardly  can  you  have  forgot- 
ten my  account  wherein  I  cut  such  a  ridiculous 
figure  in  giving  a  lecture  on  the  globes.  I  laid 
down  two  maxims,  which  I  had  from  wiser  heads 
than  my  own  ;  the  one  was  that  "  He  who  ceases 
to  learn,  soon  becomes  unfit  to  teach ;"  and  the 
13* 


150  WHAT   YOU   GAIN,    DO    YOU    RETAIN? 

Other,  that  "  The  beginning  of  an  address  to  Sun- 
day scholars  should  fix  their  attention,  the  middle 
of  it  should  interest  their  minds,  and  the  end  of  it 
should  impress  their  hearts."  These  hints,  or  pieces 
of  advice,  are  well  worthy  of  your  remembrance. 

Are  your  scholars  glad  to  see  you  ?  came  next  in 
order  ;  for,  however  desirable  it  might  be,  that  you 
should  be  glad  to  see  your  scholars,  it  was  still 
more  so  that  they  should  be  glad  to  see  you.  I  illus- 
trated my  remarks  by  a  story  of  Rosyposy  and  Net- 
tletop.  These  attended  a  masquerade,  where  the 
one  was  followed  wherever  he  went,  and  the  other 
avoided  wherever  he  came ;  and  the  conclusion 
drawn  by  me  was  this,  that  cheerful  and  kind  de- 
meanour is  a  flower  which  is  sure  to  attract  young 
people,  while  a  reserved,  churlish,  and  severe  as- 
pect is  a  stinging-nettle  which  is  equally  certain  to 
drive  them  away. 

Can  you  bear  reproof?  appeared  to  me  a  neces- 
sary question  to  those  who  were  so  often  in  the 
habit  of  reproving  others  ;  for 

He  that  instructs  should  stand  aloof 

From  selfish  love  of  praise : 
He  that  reproves  should  bear  reproof, 

And  ponder  well  his  ways. 

I  told  you  of  a  severe  schoolmaster  who  had  so 
little  discrimination,  that  a  boy  who  could  not, 
received  from  him,  the  same  punishment  as  a  boy 
who  would  not ;  and  that  on  one  occasion  he  lightly 
reproved  a  stubborn  scholar,  while  he  caught  one, 


WHAT   YOU    GAIN,    DO    YOU   RETAIN?  151 

to  whom  a  word  would  have  been  sufficient,  by  the 
hair  of  his  head,  and  struck  him  on  the  ribs  with 
his  clenched  fist.  A  Sunday  school  teacher  should 
certainly  be  a  model  of  meekness,  and  a  pattern  of 
piety ;  and  he  ought,  also,  to  abound  in  every  good 
word  and  work. 

Do  you  study  the  habits  of  young  people  ?  was 
asked  you  with  the  sincere  desire  to  render  the 
question  useful ;  for  I  well  knew  that  a  knowledge 
of  the  habits  of  thinking,  of  the  likes  and  the  dis- 
likes, and  of  the  prejudices  and  inclinations  of  chil- 
dren, would  strengthen  your  hands,  and  help  you 
forward  in  the  kind-hearted  enterprise  you  had  un- 
dertaken. I  made  this  appear  plain,  or  at  least 
tried  so  to  do,  by  showing  you  how  a  knowledge  of 
the  habits  of  the  lower  creatures  of  creation  ena- 
bled man  to  obtain  an  ascendancy  over  them,  so 
that  birds,  beasts,  and  fishes  were  easily  subdued  by 
him.  But  the  practice  of  studying  the  habits  and 
dispositions  of  the  young  people  you  teach,  appears 
to  be  so  reasonable,  that  I  might  almost  have  spared 
myself  the  trouble  of  pressing  it  on  your  attention. 

Do  you  look  backwards  and  forwards  ?  was 
another  of  the  questions  put  by  me,  and  I  tried  to 
encourage  you  to  go  forward  in  what  you  had  un- 
dertaken by  the  following  brief  couplet, 

"  Think  well  before  you  pursue  it, 
But  when  you  begin  go  through  it." 

The  great  advantage  of  looking  backwards  and 


.  52  "WHAT    YOU    GAIN,    DO    YOU    RETAIN  ? 

forwards,  tvas  pointed  out  to  you  to  be  this :  that  it 
would  enable  you  to  correct  past  errors,  and  afford 
you  encouragement  in  your  future  course.  You 
may  remember  what  was  said  by  the  sea  captain, 
"  We  keep  a  sharp  look  out  from  the  mast-head  ; 
for  when  all  is  right  to  starboard,  all  may  be  wrong 
to  larboard  ;  and  when  we  have  no  breakers  a-head, 
we  may  have  a  privateer  astern."  Sunday  school 
teachers  have  dangers  to  avoid  and  advantages  to 
secure,  and  should  therefore  look  backwards  and 
forwards,  as  sharply  as  sea  captains. 

Are  you  prayerful,  hopeful,  and  trustful  ?  When 
this  question  was  put  by  me,  I  made  the  remark, 
that  "  Prayer  in  simple  language,  is,  among  chris- 
tian people,  the  act  of  asking  God,  in  the  Saviour's 
name,  to  do  that  for  them  which  they  cannot  do  for 
themselves  ;  and  if  we  all  had  a  due  sense  of  the 
value  of  prayer  in  affording  uS  peace,  in  exciting 
hope  and  confidence,  and  in  strengthening  our 
hands  and  hearts,  there  would  not  be  found  a 
prayerless  person  from  Kent  to  Cornwall,  from 
Northumberland  to  the  Isle  of  Wight :  and  I  said, 
also,  that  if  you  were  not  prayerful,  though  you 
might  be  fit  for  many  avocations,  you  were  not  fit 
for  a  Sunday  school  teacher.  It  seems  to  me  indis- 
pensable that  you  should  be  prayerful,  hopeful,  and 
trustful. 

Are  you  patient  and  persevering  ?  was  an  en- 
quiry equally  necessary  with  that  which  preceded 
it;  for  without  patience  and  perseverance,  a  Sunday 


WHAT   YOU    GAIN,    DO    YOU    RETAIN?  153 

school  teacher  would  be  but  ill  provided  for  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties.  The  pictures  which  I  drew 
with  my  pen,  of  the  fisherman  and  the  hunter, 
were,  as  you  may  remember,  intended  to  show  that 
the  qualities  of  patience  and  perseverance,  were 
called  forth  by  objects  of  a  very  trifling  nature ; 
and  that  it  would  be  your  reproach  to  allow  your- 
selves to  be  out-done  in  these  qualities  by  the  hunter 
and  the  fisherman.  I  tried  to  get  a  lesson  of  in- 
struction for  you  from  the  ant,  the  bee,  and  the 
bird ;  and  hope  that  I  at  least  succeeded  in  creating 
in  your  hearts  a  desire  to  be  patient  and  perse- 
vering. 

Do  you  abhor  deceit  1  was  not  asked  with  a 
doubt  of  disapproving  and  disliking  deceit,  but  only 
to  ascertain  if  you  had  that  strong  abhorrence  of  it, 
which  the  word  of  God  appears  to  require.  The 
instances  of  deceit  given  by  me,  of  the  young  girl 
who  broke  her  mistress's  windows,  and  the  deceitful 
servant  who  appeared  to  be  afllicted  with  St.  Vi- 
tus's  dance,  afforded  you,  I  doubt  not,  some  amuse- 
ment, and  I  trust,  also,  that  they,  in  some  degree, 
increased  your  abhorrence  of  deceit.  I  told  you 
that  the  best  way  to  quicken  your  perception  of  de- 
ceit in  your  scholars,  would  be,  in  a  prayerful  spirit, 
to  keep  a  watch  over  your  own  hearts. 

Do  you  turn  passing  occurrences  to  advantage  ? 
was  a  question  illustrated  by  many  examples,  to 
show  how  easily  circumstances  might  be  improved 
for  the  good  of  your  scholars.    "  If  a  scholar  come 


154  WHAT   YOU   GAIN,    DO    YOU   RETAIN*? 

to  school  early."  "  If  a  scholar  come  late.' 
«'  When  the  sun  shines."  "  On  a  dark  day."  "On 
a  sharp  frost."  "  On  a  hot  day."  "  When  it  rains." 
"  After  a  clap  of  thunder."  "  On  beginning  school" 
"  When  the  clock  strikes."  "  To  a  diligent  scho- 
lar ;  and  "  To  the  scholars  when  about  to  le- 
tjjrii  home."  All  these  occurrences  were  com- 
mented on,  to  show  you  how  to  proceed,  in  the  hope 
that  you  might  so  far  profit  by  them,  as  to  be  able 
to  get  more  striking  remarks  for  yourselves.  If 
you  Were  to  refer  back  to  these  cases,  and  read 
them  over  again,  it  would  not,  perhaps,  be  time 
flung  away. 

What  is  your  stock  of  information  ?  said  I,  in 
my  next  question,  for  I  well  knew  that  an  ignorant 
teacher  was  not  likely  to  make  his  scholars  wise. 
But  remember,  that  of  all  necessary  qualifications 
in  a  teacher,  I  considered  to  be  the  most  necessary 
the  sincere  desire  to  benefit  his  scholars  for  time 
and  eternity.  I  endeavoured  to  refresh  your  know- 
ledge, by  running  over,  rapidly,  the  names  of  the 
gods  of  heathen  nations  ;  the  general  contents  of 
God's  holy  word  ;  the  history  of  the  Bible,  and  the 
history  of  your  native  land :  and  I  hope  I  succeeded 
in  not  only  bringing  back  to  your  memory  many 
things  you  had  forgotten,  but  also  in  exciting  a  de- 
sire to  add  to  your  stock  of  information. 

Are  you  fond  of  children  ?  was  a  question  that 
I  was  not  at  all  likely  to  omit  asking ;  because 
fondness  and  aflfection  for  -the  young,  help  us  won- 


WHAT  YOU   GAIN,    DO   YOU   RETAIN  ?  J55 

derfully  in  our  attempts  to  do  them  good.  Love  is 
a  leviej  that  enables  us  to  lift  many  a  big  stone 
from  our  path,  with  which  it  would  otlierwise  be 
encumbered.  I  thought  it  most  likely  that  you 
were  fond  of  children,  and  I  said  what  I  could  in 
behalf  of  young  people,  to  call  forth  and  increase 
your  love,  in  case  you  had  not  that  fondness  for 
them,  which  I  gave  you  credit  for  possessing.  I 
said,  "  Surely,  if  you  do  not  love  children,  a  little 
'consideration  on  their  helplessness,  simplicity,  open- 
heartedness,  and  teachableness,  will  move  your  af- 
fections ;  and  if  you  do  love  them,  it  will  make  you 
love  them  still  better  than  before. 

Can  you  make  sacrifices  ?  was  my  next  inquiry, 
nor  do  I  now  think  it  to  be  an  unnecessary  one ; 
for,  as  I  have  said  before,  ^'  every  good  quality  you 
can  get  into  your  own  hearts,  will  enable  you  the 
better  to  instruct  your  scholars.  If  you  possess 
self-denial,  and  can  make  sacrifices,  you  will  the 
more  easily  practice  patience,  forbearance,  and  per- 
severance ;  what  you  do  will  not  be  done  grudg- 
ingly ;  what  time  and  attention  you  bestow,  wiU 
be  given  willingly  ;  and  in  these  offerings,  as  well 
as  in  those  of  silver  and  gold,  '  God  loveth  a  cheer- 
ful giver.'  "  I  gave  you  some  noble  instances 
wherein  sacrifices  were  made  by  human  beings  ; 
and  I  failed  not  to  point  out  to  you,  the  great  sacri- 
fice offered  up  for  sinners,  by  the  Saviour  upon  the 
cross. 

Do  you  know  that  knowledge  is  not  wisdom  ? 


156  WHAT   YOU    GAIN,    DO    YOU   RETAIN? 

was  the  last  question  put  to  you,  for  I  wanted  you 
to  have  a  clear  distinction  between  that  which  only 
refers  to  the  memory,  and  that  which  has  to  do 
with  the  judgment.  You  were  told  by  me,  that  it 
was  very  possible  to  abound  in  knowledge,  and  ye\ 
remain  very  deficient  in  wisdom :  and  that  if  any 
of  you  had  fallen  into  the  error  of  supposing  your- 
selves to  be  wise,  simply  because  you  were  puffed 
up  with  knowledge,  it  would  be  well,  if  you  gave 
neither  sleep  to  your  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  your 
eyelids,  till  you  had  resolved  to  correct  it. 

To  allow^  the  hours,  the  days,  the  weeks,  and 
the  months  to  pass  by,  and  especially,  the  whole 
year  to  escape,  without  considerably  adding  to  your 
knowledge  and  practical  experience  as  a  Sunday 
school  teacher,  is  altogether  out  of  the  question  ;  yet 
how  many  are  those  who  attend  the  house  of  God, 
every  Sabbath  day  in  the  year,  who  cannot  give 
an  account  of  a  single  seniion  they  have  heard. 
How  this  matter  stands  with  you  for  the  last  year^ 
with  regard  to  your  schools  and  your  scholars,  is  a 
question  worth  putting  to  yourselves  ;  in  the  mean 
time  attend  a  moment  to  the  following  friendly 
suggestions,  drawn  from  what  you  have  already 
read : — 

In  your  praiseworthy  course,  as  christian  teachers, 
try  to  exercise  a  sound  judgment ;  lest,  intending 
what  is  right,  you  do  what  is  wrong.  While  you 
remember  to  teach  others,  forget  not  to  learn  your- 
selves.    You  may  be  glad  to  see  your  scholars,  yet 


WHAT   YOU    GAIN,    DO   YOU   RETAIN  ?  157 

may  they  not  be  glad  to  see  you.  You  may  offer 
reproof  in  a  good  spirit,  and  receive  it  in  a  bad  one. 
You  may  fail  to  win  the  good  will  of  young  people 
by  not  studying  their  habits.  For  want  of  a  quick 
eye,  you  may  be  met  or  overtaken  by  danger. 
Without  a  prayerful  spirit,  and  a  hopeful  and  trust- 
ful disposition,  you  are  not  likely  to  do  much  for 
the  good  of  Sunday  schools.  If  you  have  neither 
patience  or  perseverance,  either  get  them,  or  give 
up  your  position  as  teachers.  If  you  abhor  not  de- 
ceit, you  will  both  deceive  and  be  deceived.  Im- 
prove opportunities,  or  opportunities  will  not  im- 
prove you.  If  your  stock  of  information  be  small, 
you  have  the  more  need  to  increase  it.  If  you  are 
not  fond  of  children,  children  are  not  likely  to  be 
fond  of  you.  Without  self-denial,  services  are  often 
selfishness.  You  cannot  be  wise,  till  you  know 
that  knowledge  is  not  wisdom. 

Oh,  that  instead  of  these  homely  hints,  I  had 
those  to  offer  which  would  be  more  worthy  your 
attention,  and  more  influential  in  moving  you,  as 
kind-hearted  christian  teachers,  to  a  diligent  and 
successful  course.  Such  as  they  are,  however,  try 
to  turn  them  to  account,  holding  fast  every  advan- 
tage you  obtain,  and  looking  to  the  High  and  Lofty 
One,  so  to  number  your  days,  that  you  may  apply 
your  hearts  to  wisdom.  Remember,  that  the  high- 
est and  the  holiest  of  all  objects  is  the  Redeemer's 
glory  ;  pursue  it  in  a  spirit  of  love  for  your  fellow- 
creatures,  and  especially  for  your  scholars  j  that 
U 


\6B  a  sprig  of  holly. 

wheji  clothed  with  white,  with  pahn  branches  iif-' 
your  hands,  you  stand  among  the  multitude  that  no 
man  Can  number,  before  the  throne  of  the  Eternal, 
voices  familiar  to  your  ears,  may  help  you  to  swell 
the  mighty  chorus,.  "  Blessing  and  honour,  and 
glory,  and  power,  be  unto  Him  that  sittethupon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever." 


XVI. 

A  SPRIG  OF  HOLLY 
FOR  A    SUNDAY    SCHOOL  TEACHER. 

CimiSTMAS  was,  is,  and  I  trust,  ever  will  be,  so 
long  as  "  the  seasons  roll,"  a  cheerful  time.  The 
young,  the  middle-aged,  and  the  old,  prepare  for  it, 
and  rejoice  when  it  comes.  Griefs  are  abundant  in 
the  world  ;  sorrows  there  are  without  number  ;  but 
this  does  not  gainsay  the  general  truth,  that  Christ- 
mas is  a  cheerful  time. 

Oh,  what  a  merciful  provision  it  is  on  the  part 
of  our  heavenly  Father,  that  neither  sin  nor  sorrow 
has  banished  joy  from  the  world  !  If  one  heart  be 
DO  wed  down,  another  is  dancing  with  delight ;  and 
if  one  habitation  be  the  house  of  mourning,  the  next 
is  filled  Wth  the  sounds  of  rejoicing. 


A    SPRIG    or    HOLLY.  159 

TRe  very  name  of  Christmas  is  as  music  to  the 
ear,  sunshine  to  the  eye,  and  happiness  to  the  heart 
of  the  young,  for  it  brings  before  them  holiday  and 
pleasure  ;  while  the  matured  and  the  aged  look  for- 
ward with  affection  to  the  friendly  groups  and  fami- 
ly gatherings  that  await  them- 

You  see  Christmas  as  it  approaches  in  the  ani- 
mated eye  of  the  young  ;  in  the  increased  bustle  and 
business  of  the  shops  ;  in  the  holly,  the  mistletoe, 
the  laurel,  and  the  lauristina  for  sale  in  the  market- 
place ;  and  in  the  decorated  pulpit  and  pews  of  the 
churches.  You  see  it  everywhere  ;  and  though 
the  ground  be  covered  with  snow,  and  the  eaves  are 
hung  with  icicles,  you  can  almost  feel  th«  warm 
glow  of  the  flaring  fire. 

But  it  is  not  of  the  well-spread  feast,  the  happy 
guests,  the  flaring  fire,  the  cheerful  evergreens,  the 
blithesome  carol,  tmd  the  happy  meeting  and  greet- 
ing of  Christmas  that  I  am  about  to  speak.  We 
have,  most  of  us,  known  these  things,  and  may, 
perhaps,  be  knowing  them  still ;  and,  if  so,  I  hope 
and  trust  that  we  are  not  unthankful  for  them,  for 
we  should  regard  these  things  as  instances  of  God's 
goodness,  and  receive  them  as  gifts  from  him.  It 
is,  however,  of  other  things  that  I  would  now 
speak. 

I  wish,  while  others  are  carrying  symbols  of  the 
season,  and  enjoying  the  festivities  of  Christmas,  to 
put  a  sprig  of  holy  in  the  bosom,  and  a  glow  of 
gladness  in  the  heart,  of  a  Sunday  school  teacher. 


160  \    SPRIG    OF    HOLLY. 

Christmas  is  the  end  of  the  year,  and  is  therefore  a 
proper  time  to  look  back  on  the  past.  It  is  the 
herald  of  a  new  year,  and  therefore  a  suitable 
period  to  look  forward  to  the  future :  let  me  do 
both.  There  is  nothing  gilds  to-morrow  with  sun- 
shine, so  much  as  a  cheerful  retrospect  of  to-day  and 
yesterday. 

Believing,  as  I  do,  that  Sunday  school  teachers 
generally,  would  that  I  could  say  universally,  feel 
joy  in  the  prosperity  of  Sunday  schools,  I  sadly  want 
to  drop  a  few  words  of  hearty  encouragement  to 
them.  Words  that  will  gather  round  their  hearts, 
and  prompt  them  to  go  though  the  coming  year 
with  increased  determination,  alacrity,  and  joy. 

There  are,  who  think  that  Sunday  Schools  have 
not  succeeded;  that  they  have  not  realised  what 
was  expected  of  them  ;  that  they  have  not  performed 
the  goodly  promise  of  their  earlier  years.  But 
those  who  hold  this  opinion,  may  have  set  up  too 
high  a  standard  of  attainment  for  the  present  time, 
and  may  have  expected  more  from  Sunday  schools 
than  in  their  yet  early  years  ought  to  be  expected. 
The  fact,  however,  that  a  multitude,  almost  number- 
less, have  been  trained  up  in  the  way  they  should 
go,  in  the  hope  that  when  old  they  would  not  de- 
part from  it,  is  of  itself,  a  confirmation  that  Sunday 
schools  have  been  an  abundant  blessing. 

It  is  not  by  comparing  Sunday  schools  with  what 
we  wish  them  to  be,  that  we  estimate  them  aright 
or  derive  encouragement :  the  way  to  know  their 


A    SPRia   OF    HOLLY.  161 

value,  is  to  compare  the  state  of  the  rising  genera- 
tion now,  with  the  state  of  young  people  before  Sun- 
day schools  were  in  existence.  Is  there  a  doubt  as 
to  Sunday  schools  being  a  blessing  ?  let  the  almost 
unnumbered  youthful  worshippers  that  throng  the 
house  of  God  and  sing  the  praises  of  the  Redeemer 
every  Sabbath  day,  scatter  the  doubt  to  the  winds. 

When  a  victory,  and  especially  a  great  victory,  is 
obtained  over  an  enemy,  what  a  noise  is  made  about 
it ;  the  news  of  the  event  flies  in  all  directions  ;  the 
bells  are  set  ringing ;  the  newspapers  are  filled  with 
the  account ;  meetings  are  held,  speeches  are  made ; 
flags  are  unfurled  to  flaunt  in  the  air,  and  honors 
are  freely  bestowed.  Why,  look  at  the  Sunday 
school  victory !  This  may  with  some  reason  be 
called  a  great  victory;  for  not  merely  hundreds 
and  thousands,  but  millions  have  been  conquered. 

Yes  !  the  great  Sunday  school  victory  was  a 
conquest  obtained  over  youthful  millions,  who, 
fighting  under  the  banners  of  ignorance,  were  op- 
posed to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  man- 
kind. These  have  been  led  captive ;  these  have 
been  made  wise  in  God's  word  ;  they  are  ranked 
among  his  worshippers,  and  are  now  true  subjects 
of  the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords ! 

And  who  was  it  that  obtained  this  victory  ?  We 
knoAv,  or  ought  to  know,  that  in  every  victory  over 
ignorance,  sin,  and  Satan,  it  is  God  alone  who 
teaches  "  our  hands  to  war,  and  our  fingers  to  fight," 
to  him,  then,  be  the  glory ;  but  under  him  this  vic- 
14* 


162  A   SPRIG   OF   HOLLY. 

tory  has  been  won,  mainly,  by  the  efforts  of  Sun- 
day school  teachers,  who,  Sabbath  after  Sabbath, 
have  advanced  to  the  attack.  They  have  endured 
the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day  ;  they  have  stood 
up  bravely  in  a  noble  cause ;  they  have  fought  a 
good  fight,  and  they  have  won  a  great  victory. 

Are  you  a  Sunday  school  teacher,  and  can  you 
think  of  this  without  a  grateful  heart  ?  Can  you 
reflect  on  the  amount  of  ignorance,  idleness,  profli- 
gacy, blaspheming,  and  Sabbath  breaking  that  has 
been  done  away,  and  the  knowledge,  the  industry, 
the  good  habits,  and  the  piety,  that  have  abounded 
among  those  who  were  brought  up  in  Sunday 
schools  ?  Can  you  reflect  on  these  things  without 
rejoicing  that  you  have  been  a  teacher?  I  hope 
not.  I  hope,  and  trust,  the  remembrance  that  you 
have  been  one  among  the  many  in  the  hands  of 
God,  who  have  so  largely  contributed  to  this 
happy  change,  will  be  to  you  at  this  Christmas- 
time, as  a  cordial  to  your  heart  and  a  sprig  of  holly 
in  your  bosom. 

There  are  two  ways  of  being  useful  to  young 
people  ;  the  one  is  to  teach  them  what  is  right,  and 
the  other,  to  keep  them  from  what  is  wrong.  These 
two  ways  of  usefulness  are  continually  being  prac- 
tised by  Sunday  school  teachers.  Of  all  days  in 
the  week,  the  most  evil  can  be  done  on  a  Sunday  ; 
because  it  being  a  day  of  rest,  so  many  people  of 
bad  habits  are  unemployed  ;  of  all  days  in  the 
week,  the  most  good  may  be  obtained  on  a  Sunday, 


A    SPRIG   OF   HOLLY.  163 

for  then  the  house  of  God  is  open,  and  Christians 
meet  together  to  be  instructed,  reproved,  and  en- 
couraged in  holy  things,  and  to  join  in  prayer  and 
praise  to  our  heavenly  Father.  These  things  be- 
ing so,  what  an  advantage  then,  that  Sunday  should 
be  spent  as  it  now  is,  by  Sunday  school  teachers,  and 
Sunday  school  scholars.  Christmas  is  just  the  time 
to  think  cheerfully  of  Stmday  schools,  that  while 
the  carol  singer  is  chanting  his  accustomed  song, 
you  may  with  a  buoyant  spirit  join  him  in  the 
heart-enlivening  strain. 

Hark  !    the  herald  angels  sing, 
Glory  to  the  new-born  King  : 
Peace  on  earth  and  mercy  mild, 
God  and  sinners  reconciled. 

And  have  you  avoided  no  evil,  think  you,  in  be- 
ing occupied  Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  at  your  school  ? 
Have  you  secured  no  good  for  yourself  while  im- 
parting what  is  good  to  others  ?  Who  can  tell  how 
largely  you  might  have  gone  into  error,  and  how 
little  you  might  possibly  have  known  of  the  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  had  you  not  been  a  teacher  ?  The 
lessons  of  instruction  in  which  you  and  your  scho- 
lars have  been  engaged,  the  prayers  you  have  put 
up  together,  and  the  sermons  you  have  heard  in 
each  other's  company,  may  have  been  as  great  a 
benefit  to  you  as  to  them.  Here,  then,  is  a  fresh 
cause  for  thankfulness,  that  while  you  have  been 
watering  the  young  plants  in  the  garden  of  God, 


164  A    SPRIG    OF   HOLLY. 

you  have  been  watered  also ;  and  that  while  they 
have  budded,  you  have,  also,  blossomed  and  borne 
fruit  to  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer.  If  this  be  not 
a  cause  of  joy  to  you,  it  ought  to  be  so  ;  I  trust  it 
is,  and  that  at  this  season  of  general  rejoicing,  your 
soul  is  magnifying  the  Lord,  and  your  spirit  rejoic- 
ing in  God  your  Saviour. 

At  Christmas,  the  great  yearly  clock  is  about  to 
be  again  wound  up,  and  the  pendulum  of  time  may 
go  on  swinging  to  and  fro,  for  twelve  months  more 
without  stopping.  If  we  should  be  asked  what  we 
have  been  about  during  the  past  year  ?  If  an  ac- 
count were  required  of  the  hours,  the  minutes,  and 
the  moments  which  are  gone,  it  might  be  a  very 
difficult  thing  to  some  of  us  to  give  a  satisfac- 
tory reply  ;  and  in  such  a  case,  a  Sunday  school 
teacher  may,  with  some  satisfaction,  point  to  his 
Sabbath  employment.  This  part  of  time  has,  cer- 
tainly, been  devoted  to  good  ;  this  precious  portion 
of  the  year,  has,  at  least,  been  profitably  spent.  Has 
this  ever  occurred  to  your  thoughts  ?  If  not,  think 
of  it  now,  and  think  of  it  with  cheerfulness  and  joy. 

Christmas  is  the  time  to  make  up  the  accounts  of 
the  year,  to  strike  a  balance  of  our  concerns,  and  a 
fearful  balance  this  is  to  many.  We  are  indebted 
for  countless  mercies  from  January  to  December. 
Three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  of  continued 
protection,  provision,  temporal  benefits,  and  spiritual 
blessings.  What  is  there  for  which  we  can  claim 
credit?     We  have  plenty  of  idle  thoughts,  light- 


A   SPRIG   OF   HOLLY.  165 

minded  words,  and  useless  deeds.  We  have  enough, 
and  more  than  enough  of  waste  of  time,  neglect  of 
prayer,  forgetfulness  of  God's  word  and  will,  and 
unimproved  opportunities  of  doing  good  ;  but  what 
have  we  to  put  down,  that  may  be  said  to  be  to  the 
credit  of  our  account. 

Now,  if  as  a  Sunday  school  teacher,  you  can 
honestly  take  credit  "  for  fifty-two  Sabbaths  of  hum- 
ble and  imperfect,  but  of  sincere  and  hearty  endea- 
vours to  benefit  the  children  under  my  care," — if,  I 
say,  you  can  make  such  an  entry  as  this  in  your 
account,  be  thankful  for  the  goodness  of  your  hea- 
venly Father,  for  it  will  be  an  entry  that  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  are  not  able  to  make.  He 
who  can  render  a  good  account  of  his  Sabbaths, 
has  reason,  indeed,  to  rejoice  that  the  Father  of  mer- 
cies has  moved  his  mind  to  do  good,  and  stretch- 
ed out  his  hand  to  keep  him  from  evil. 

Think  not  that  I  am  offering  undue  praise; 
that  I  am  poisoning  you  with  the  breath  of  flattery, 
and  trying  to  inflate  your  little  efforts,  and  make 
you  proud.  It  becomes  you,  as  it  becomes  all,  to 
be  humble  ;  for  after  all  you  have  done,  or  can  do, 
though  you  should  double  your  diligence,  you 
would  be  still  on  the  whole,  but  an  unprofitable  ser- 
vant— a  sinner,  that  without  a  Saviour,  would  be 
lost.  What  I  wish  to  do,  is,  not  to  make  you 
boast,  but  to  call  forth  your  thankfulness.  I  want 
you  to  be  encouraged  to  "  drink  of  the  brook  by  the 
way,"  and  to  hold  up  your  head.     As  the  milk- 


1^66 


A   SFRIQ    OF    HOU.Y. 


maid  blithely  sings  at  her  work,  so  should  you  ex- 
ult in  your  Sabbath  teaching.  Look  backwards, 
then,  with  gfatitude,  and  forwards,  with  hope  and 
rejoicing ;  for  this  is  the  Christmas  sunshine  that  I 
wish  you  to  feel  in  your  heart ;  this  is  the  sprig  of 
holly  that  I  would  put  in  your  bosom. 

How  maijy  are  there  who  keep  a  kind  of  open- 
house  at  Christmas ;  feasting  their  friends,  supply- 
ing the  wants  of  the  poor,  and  making  the  season  a 
jubilee  of  joy.  May  all  such  as  find  pleasure  in 
making  others  happy,  be  blessed  in  their  basket  and 
their  store,  in  their  going  out  and  their  coming  in, 
from  this  day  henceforth  and  for  eve?. 

"  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor ;  the 
Lord  will  deliver  him  in  time  of  trouble  ;"  but  the 
charities  of  Christmas,  are  too  often  confined  to  the 
comforts  of  the  body,  that  body  which  will  moulder 
in  the  grave,  while  the  soul  that  shall  live  through 
eternity  is  disregarded.  You  may  not  be  able  to 
feast  your  friends,  it  may  not  be  in  your  power  to 
do  much  for  the  poor,  but  if  you  still  continue  your 
services  at  the  Sunday  school,  in  a  humble,  depen- 
dant, and  trustful  spirit,  again  I  say,  be  thankful  and 
rejoice.  To  teach  your  scholars  to  read  God's 
word,  bringing  them  up  in  the  love  and  practice 
of  piety,  is  an  act  of  christian  charity,  far  greater 
than  that  of  spreading  a  table  with  dainties  for 
your  friends,  or  giving  of  your  goods  to  feed  the 
poor. 

It  is  an  excellent  rule  in  all  aur  undertakings, 


A   SPRIG   OF   HOLLY.  167 

to  look  to  the  end  :  now  the  festivities  of  Christmas 
are  soon  over,  and  only  leave  us  the  remembrance 
of  a  few  happy  hours  ;  they  neither  teach  us  to  be 
patient  in  sorrow,  nor  to  be  grateful  in  joy  ;  they 
impart  no  yearnings  to  lead  useful  lives,  or  to  die 
peaceful  deaths.  Pleasant  as  they  are,  and  delight- 
ful as  it  is  to  witness  open-heartedness,  liberality, 
charity,  and  happiness,  still,  Christmas  festivities 
do  nothing  towards  mending  our  errors  in  this  world, 
or  brightening  our  hopes  of  another.  For  this 
reason,  I  want  you  to  look  to  other  sources  for  sat- 
isfaction, to  see  the  end  of  your  own  acts,  and  to  judge 
aright  of  the  value  of  your  own  services  at  the 
Sunday  school.  If  you  consider  them  aright,  they 
will  rise  in  your  estimation.  You  w^ill  be  in  love 
with  your  sabbath  duties  ;  you  will  bless  God  for 
his  goodness,  and  rejoice  that  he  has  made  you  a 
Sunday  school  teacher. 

To  lead  a  useful  life,  and  to  die  a  peaceful  death, 
in  the  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  glorious  immor- 
tality, is  worth  more  than  a  thousand  such  worlds 
as  this  could  give.  As  an  humble-minded  Sunday 
school  teacher,  looking  for  heavenly  aid,  you  are 
securing  the  one,  and  are  in  the  high  road  to  the 
attainment  of  the  other.  Go  on  with  confidence, 
enter  on  your  duties  of  the  approaching  year  with 
thankfulness  and  joy,  for  another  year  you  may  not 
see.  ^ 


"  Another  yeafj  another  year, 
O !  ■who  shall  see  another  year  1 


168  A    SPRIG    OF    HOLLY. 

Shalt  thou,  old  man  of  hoary  head, 
Of  eye-sight  dim,  and  feeble  tread  1 
Expect  it  not !  time,  pain,  and  grief, 
Have  made  thee  like  an  autumn  leaf, 
Ready,  by  blast,  or  self-decay, 
From  its  slight  hold  to  drop  away — 
And  some  sad  morn  may  gild  thy  bier. 
Long,  long  before  ajiother  year ! 

"  Another  year,  another  year, 
O!  who  who  shall  see  another  year*? 
Shall  you,  ye  young  1  or  you,  ye  fair  1 
Ah !  the  presumptuous  thought  forbear ! 
Within  this  church-yard's  peaceful  bounds — 
Come,  pause  and  ponder  o'er  the  mounds ! 
Here  beauty  sleeps — that  verdant  length 
Of  grave  contains  what  once  was  strength, 
The  child,  the  boy,  the  man,  are  here ; 
Ye  may  not  see  another  year !" 

Think  over  what  I  have  said,  and  let  not  Christ- 
mas "  merry  Christmas ;"  drive  it  from  your  mind. 
Be  as  cheerful  as  those  around  you,  and  as  thank- 
ful for  all  the  good  that  Christmas  can  bestow,  but 
forget  not  that  you  are  a  Sunday  school  teacher ;  be 
happy  and  make  your  scholars  happy  too,  if  you 
can  ;  but  keep  their  minds,  and  your  ovra,  on  a 
higher  object ;  be  not  content  with  happiness  here, 
but  aim  at  happiness  hereafter.  I  have  now  fin- 
ished my  remarks,  and  am  trying  to  fancy,  that  I 
see  yon  looking  backwards  with  thankfulness,  and 
forwards  with  hope  and  joy,  with  a  gles^  of  sun- 
shine in  your  heart,  and  a  sprig  of  red-berried  holly 
in  your  bosom. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  THE  AGED. 

In  some  countries  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  form  an 
acquaintance  with  strangers,  but  in  England  it  is 
not  so  :  strangers  look  at  each  other  here,  in  a  way 
rather  calculated  to  freeze  the  affections  than  to  thaw 
the  friendly  feelings  of  the  heart  into  utterance. 
But  though  this  may  be,  nay,  indeed  is,  the  case 
nine  times  out  of  ten  when  strangers  meet,  there 
is  no  reason  at  all  why  it  should  be  the  case  with 
us.  It  would  be  ridiculous  in  Ephraim  Holding  to 
shift  his  position,  to  twirl  his  fingers,  to  hem  and 
cough,  and  talk  about  the  weather,  when  he  sees 
around  him  fellow-pilgrims,  whose  brows  are  fur- 
rowed deeply  as  his  own  ;  who,  like  him,  have  en- 
dured the  cares  of  this  world,  and  are  looking  to  the 
joys  of  a  better.  No,  no,  my  friends,  here  is  my 
hand.  If  we  mean  no  evil,  why  should  we  fear  to 
speak  ? 

Often  do  I  idle  my  time  in  wishing  for  a  wiser 
head,  a  sounder  judgment,  and  a  longer  purse,  to  en- 
able me  to  follow  out  the  warm  wishes  of  my  heart, 
when  I  ought  to  be  putting  to  the  best  use  what 
qualities  and  means  I  already  possess,  for  the  bene- 
fit of  those  around  me  ;  but  man  is  a  poor,  weak, 
vain,  self-sufficient  being ;  princely  in  his  desires, 
15 


170  HOMELY   HINTS   TO   THE   AGED. 

and  paup6r-like  in  his  deserts.  Here  am  I  under- 
taking to  look  after  your  hearts,  when  no  heart 
that  beats  requires  more  looking  after  than  my 
own-. 

The  world  appears  a  diiFerent  place  to  us,  from 
what  it  did  fifty  summers  ago — do  you  not  find  it 
so  ?  We  are  not  disposed  to  join  in  every  wild- 
goose  chase,  sis  we  used  to  do  ;  a  less  hurry,  a  little 
more  quiet,  are  desirable  :  and  if  we  have  found  out 
that  "  all  is  not  gold  that  glitters  ;"  that  the  attain- 
ment of  our  earthly  objects  have  not  made  us  quite  so 
happy  as  we  expected,  we  have,  I  trust,  been  taught 
also,  something  of  the  wisdom  "  which  is  better 
than  the  merchandize  of  silver,  and  the  gain  thereof 
than  fine  gold."  This  is,  indeed,  "  more  precious 
thkn  rubies,"  nor  are  all  the  things  we  can  desire 
to  be  compared  with  it.  Time  has  been  when  we 
have  striven  hard  for  earthly  honours,  but  now  we 
are  more  anxious  for  Christian  graces ;  and  can 
each  of  us  put  up  the  prayer — 

Thou,  who  art  wont  thy  servant  to  uphold, 

His  melting  breapt  with  ecstacy  to  fill, 
When  pondering  on  thy  mercies  manifold — 

Thou  who  hast  blest  me  always,  bless  me  still ; 

Grant  me  a  faith  that  trouble  cannot  kill ; 
Patience,  while  wandering  through  this  desert  drear ; 

Desires  that  bend  obedient  to  thy  will ; 
A  spirit  hujiible,  and  a  heart  sincere ; — 
Grant  me  thy  grace,  O  God  !  my  faintmg  soul  to  cheer. 

You  see,  my  friends,  that  I  take  it  for  granted 


HOMELY   HINTS   TO    THE    AGED.  171 

you  are  ainong  those  whose  faces  are  turned  hea- 
venward. If  I  thought  myself  mistaken  in  thie, 
my  heart  would  ache  for  you  indeed.  If  there  he 
one  sight  on  earth  more  lamentable  than  another,  it 
is  that  of  an  old  man  approaching  the  grave,  with- 
out a  hope  beyond  it. 

The  pains,  and  infirmities,  and  sorrows  of  age  are 
not  always  borne  patiently,  even  by  godly  men ; 
how  the  ungodly  endure  them  is  a  puzzle  to  nie. 
It  is  hard  work  to  give  up  health  and  good  spirits, 
and  the  things  that  make  life  so  dear  to  us ;  but  we 
must  not  be  douii-hearted  about  the  matter.  In 
crossing  a  river,  the  further  we  go  from  the  green 
trees  on  one  side,  the  nearer  we  draw  to  the  green 
fields  on  the  other  ;  and,  as  the  enjoyments  of  time 
grow  dim  to  us,  the  glories  of  eternity  should 
brighten  in  our  view. 

It  would  not  become  aged  Christians  to  be  Un- 
thankful, because  some  of  the  good  things  they  have 
enjoyed  are  over  ;  this  would  be  like  asking  a  bles- 
sing before  a  banquet,  and  neglecting  to  return 
thanks  after  it.  Let  us  rather  go  on  "  singing  of 
mercy"  all  our  days,  grateful  for  blessings  while 
we  have  them,  and,  when  they  are  gone,  grateful 
that  we  have  had  them. 

Do  you  find  your  time,  now  and  then,  hang 
heavy  on  your  hands  ?  Do  you  feel  a  fancy  that 
sometimes  your  young  friends  neglect  you?  Is 
your  morning  cough  a  little  troublesome  ?  Do  you 
know  what  a  smart  twinge  of  the  rheumatism  means? 


l72  HOMELY   HINTS   TO    THE   AGED. 

Have  you  cold  feet  ?  and  does  an  occasional  cramp 
make  you  cry  out  ?  Well,  well !  do  not  think  that 
these  things  are  against  you.  No  ;  they  are  gentle 
admonitions,  merciful  remindings  of  your  heavenly 
Father,  that  you  are  drawing  nearer  your  eternal 
inheritance.  These  are  among  the  "  all  things," 
that  work  together  for  the  good  of  the  followers  of 
the  Redeemer  ;  and  the  keeping  back  one  of  them 
would  be  withholding  a  mercy.  To  receive  grate- 
fully, and  endure  patiently,  are  especial  privileges 
of  the  Christian  ;  and,  if  he  can  also  trust  undoubt- 
ingly,  he  is  armed  from  head  to  heel,  and  the  world, 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  shall  assail  him  in  vain. 

I  find  it  a  much  easier  thing  to  talk  about  Chris- 
tian graces  than  to  practise  them  ;  much  easier  to 
tell  others  what  they  should  do,  than  to  do  it  my- 
self While  urging  others  to  submission  to  God's 
decrees,  I  feel  a  rebellious  heart  beating  in  my  bo- 
som ;  and,  at  the  very  moment  that  1  exhort  them 
to  a  holy  courage,  I  am  often  shaking  in  my  shoes 
with  guilty  and  unchristian  fears.  Is  this  the  case 
with  you  ?  It  is  a  good  thing  to  compare  notes, 
now  and  then,  that  we  may  help,  and  comfort,  and 
encourage  one  another  on  our  pilgrimage.  It  is  an 
excellent  thing,  too,  to  aim  at  coming  up  to  the  full 
proportion  of  the  Christian's  character." 

In  all  the  pleasures  and  the  pains 

That  anxious  mortals  know, 
He  hears  a  voice  that  cries  aloud, 

"  Go  forward,  pilgrim  !  go  ! 


HOMELY    HINTS    TO    THE    AGED.  173 

With  girded  loins  and  sandal'd  feet, 

Thy  staff  within  thy  hand, 
Go  forward,  pilgrim,  on  thy  way, 

And  find  a  heavenly  land." 

Does  the  Bible  become  more  and  more  precious 
to  you  ?  and  does  it  afford  you  more  and  more 
consolation  ?  Do  you  cry  out  with  a  more  fervent 
energy.  "  Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  be- 
hold wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law  ?"  and  do 
you  feel  that  "  the  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  con- 
verting the  soul ;  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure, 
making  wise  the  simple  ;  the  statutes  of  the  Lord  are 
right,  rejoicing  the  heart  ?"  It  should  be  so,  and  I 
hope  it  is  so.  I  have  met  with  many  who  knew 
too  little  about  their  Bibles  ;  but  I  never  yet  fell  in 
with  one  who  knew  too  much.  You  will  think 
that  I  am  preaching  you  a  long  sermon ;  but  it  is 
a  failing  of  mine,  when  I  get  into  conversation,  to 
keep  on  prosing  longer  than  I  should  do  :  this  is  not 
the  only  infirmity  that  you  will  have  to  bear  with  in 
Ephraim  Holding. 

The  other  day  [  called  on  my  friend  Thomas 
Baxter,  who  has  about  as  many  grey  hairs  on  his 
head  as  I  have.  We  went  back  to  the  days  of  our 
boyhood,  when  we  were  schoolfellows.  We  spoke 
of  our  losses  and  crosses,  and  consoled  one  another 
that  they  were  passed  by.  We  compared  the  past 
with  the  present,  and  humbly  and  hopefully  looked 
forward  to  the  future.  Thomas  Baxter  has  an  af- 
fectionate heart  in  his  bosom,  and  it  seemed  to  warm 
15* 


174  HOMELY   HINTS   TO   THE   AGED. 

within  him  while  we  talked  together.  He  took  me 
round  his  garden,  and  into  his  summer  arbour.  He 
showed  me  his  books,  of  which  he  seemed  very- 
fond;  and,  among  others,  one  carefully  covered 
over  with  a  cartridge  paper  cover  ;  but  this  gave 
•  me  no  pleasure,  because  I  saw  his  old  Bible  lying 
on  the  table,  without  any  cover  at  all,  and  a  heap 
of  things  piled  upon  it. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Mr.  Baxter,"  said  I,  having 
taken  off  the  cover  to  look  at  the  binding,  "  this  is 
a  good  book,  and  very  handsome,  especially  the 
back  of  it  here,  where  the  title  is  printed  in  gold 
letters  ;  but  why  do  you  keep  it  up  so  close  in 
your  book-case  ?  It  would  look  very  well  on  that 
table,  with  your  daughter's  work-box,  and  the 
snuffer-tray,  and  other  matters,  placed  properly 
upon  it." 

"The  work-box  and  snuffer-tray!"  said  he, 
opening  his  eyes  wider  than  before  ;  "  not  for  the 
world  !  I  have  too  much  respect  for  the  giver  of  it 
to  use  it  in  that  way.  '  Love  me,  love  my  dog,' 
Mr.  Holding ;  if  we  really  love  our  friends,  we 
shall  be  sure  to  value  their  gifts." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  so,"  replied  I, 
"  for  sure  I  am  that  you  love  the  Almighty  Giver 
of  this  blessed  book,"  putting  my  hand  on  his  old 
Bible. 

Now,  Thomas  Baxter  was  too  sensible  and 
kind-hearted  a  man  to  feel  offended  at  the  freedom 
of  my  remark  ;    so  he  cleared  away  the  heap  of 


HOMELY    HINTS    TO    THE    AGED.  175 

things  from  his  Bible,  and,  taking  me  by  the  hand, 
and  giving  it  a  hearty  squeeze,  said,  "  Friend  Hold- 
ing, if  ever  you  see  my  Bible  in  such  a  trim  again, 
tell  me  that  I  have  no  love  for  it." 

I  must  confess  myself  to  be  a  little  whimsical  in 
these  things.  I  love  the  arm-chair  in  which  my 
father  sat,  for  my  father's  sake  ;  and,  for  the  same 
reason,  I  value  an  old  pair  of  spectacles,  which 
once  belonged  to  my  mother.  You  may  tell  me 
this  is  a  weakness  ;  but  if  you  do,  I  shall  not 
value  these  things  a  whit  the  less :  and  I  love,  too, 
to  see  the  Bible  treated  with  reverence,  and  not 
made  a  seat  to  sit  on,  a  step  to  stand  on,  nor  a 
mere  pedestal  to  show  off  a  work-box  and  a  snuffer- 
tray. 

I  saw  but  this  one  thing  at  Thomas  Baxter's 
that  seemed  out  of  order.  If  he  were  to  call  on 
me,  most  likely  he  would  see  many  things  requir- 
ing a  sharper  reproof  than  his  unintentional  neglect 
of  his  Bible. 

But,  come,  I  may  be  wearying  you  with  my  ob- 
servations :  now  the  ice  is  once  broken  between  us, 
we  shall,  perhaps,  get  a  little  more  free  with  each 
other.  Tell  me  frankly  what  you  see  in  me  that  is 
amiss,  and  I  will  strive  to  amend  it ;  in  the  mean- 
time, forget  not  that  yon  have  a  friend  in  Ephraim 
Holding. 


*. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  MOTHERS, 

If  kindness  is  to  be  found  on  earth  it  is  among 
women  ;  and  if  in  one  heart  more  than  another,  in 
the  heart  of  a  mother. 

A  happy  and  well-regulated  family — and  none 
that  are  ill-regulated  can  be  happy — is  a  delightful 
object  to  gaze  on  :  the  obedience  of  the  servants, 
the  tractability  of  the  children,  the  neatness  and 
comfort  of  the  dwelling,  from  top  to  bottom,  what 
is  it  all  owing  to  ?  Why,  to  the  mother,  the  mis- 
tress of  the  household.  She  is  the  light  and  the 
life,  the  eye,  the  hand,  yea,  the  very  soul  of  the 
establishment.  Come  home  when  he  will,  the 
good  man  meets  with  a  smile,  a  cheerful  habita- 
tion, and  a  clean  hearth.  The  father,  as  the  head 
of  the  family,  may  be  the  most  important  abroad  ; 
he  has  to  provide  the  "  ways  and  means  ;"  his  are 
the  weightier  cares  ;  but  within  doors  the  mother  is 
the  very  centre  of  the  domestic  circle. 

How  anxiously  she  watches  the  sleeping  infant ! 
How  sweetly  she  instructs  the  kneeling  child  in 
his  mofning  and  evening  prayer  1  How  forbear- 
ingly  she  endures  the  pettishness,  the  waywardness, 
the  wilfulness  of  youth  !  How  mildly  she  rebukes 
and  how  lovingly  she  reconciles  the  angry  and 
quarrelsome.     Again,  I  say,  that  the  mother,  the 


HOMELY    HINTS   TO    MOTHERS.  177 

mistress,  is  the  light,  the  life,  the  eye,  the  hand,  and 
the  soul  of  a  well  regulated  family. 

But  do  not  think  that  Ephraim  Holding  is  heart- 
less enough  to  become  a  flatterer  !  No  ;  he  will 
speak  plain  truths,  for  what  would  he  get  by  de- 
ceit ?  Affectionate,  and  prudent,  and  pious  mo- 
thers, are  all,  and  more  than  all  that  I  have  said  ; 
nor  have  I  words  wherewith  sufficiently  to  do  them 
honour  ;  but  all  mothers  are  not  affectionate,  and 
prudent,  and  pious.  Thousands  have  some  of  these 
qualities,  but  it  is  the  union  of  them  all  that  makes 
a  mother  what  she  should  be.  You  must  let  me 
talk  with  you  freely.  I  know  that  you  have  many 
and  constant  solicitudes,  and  I  feel  that  you  are  en- 
titled to  kindness,  respect,  and  high  estimation ;  but 
these  things  will  not  withhold  me  from  a  few 
friendly  remarks. 

I  have  known  mistresses  who  have  been  high 
and  haughty,  requiring  from  servants  more  than 
what  is  reasonable ;  wives  who  have  been  ex- 
travagant, disorderly,  and  provoking,  foolishly- 
striving  for  the  mastery  ;  mothers  who  have  been 
careless,  injudiciously  indulgent,  and  partial. 

Mind,  if  Ephraim  Holding  plays  the  archer,  if 
he  draws  the  bow  at  a  venture,  he  wounds  no  one 
willingly.  His  shaft  is  not  pointed  by  severity,  nor 
poisoned  with  ill-nature. 

How  do  you  behave  to  your  servants?  Are  you 
satisfied  with  your  own  conduct  towards  them? 
Do  you  sufficiently  consider  that  you  are  quite  as 


178        HOMELY  HINTS  TO  MOTHERS. 

dependent  on  them  for  comfort,  as  they  are  on  you 
for  support  1  Are  you  interested  in  their  welfare, 
and  do  you  try  to  mitigate  their  little  troublee? 
And,  more  than  all,  do  you  look  upon  them  as  fel- 
low-creatures, fellow-sinners,  and  fellow-pilgrims  to 
a  better  world?  Do  you  try  to  render  them  happy 
on  earth,  and  endeavour  to  help  them  on  thei^'  way 
to  heaven  1 

How  do  you  behave  to  your  husbands?  Are 
you  helpmates  to  them  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
word  ?  Do  you  study  their  comfort,  consult  their 
tastes,  clear  their  cloudy  brows,  bear  with  their 
testy  humours,  and  encourage  them  in  their  hea- 
venly course  ? 

How  do  you  behave  to  your  children  ?  Do  you 
watch  over  your  own  heart  in  forming  their  char- 
acters ?  Do  you  pull  up  the  loathsome  weeds  that 
grow  in  their  bosoms,  and  plant  the  lovely  jflowers 
that  will  adorn  their  lives  ?  Do  you  check  every 
evil,  foster  all  that  is  good,  and  teach  them  that 
all  they  can  learn  will  be  worthless,  unless  they 
learn  to  "  remember  their  Creator  in  the  days  of 
their  youth?"  These  are  straight-forward  ques- 
tions, but  I  want  you  not  to  answer  them  to  me ; 
answer  them  to  your  own  hearts. 

In  my  calls  the  other  day  I  met  with  some  lovely 
instances  of  affection,  prudence,  and  piety,  in  domes- 
tic life,  and  some  wherein  these  qualities  are  not  so- 
conspicuous.  Two  or  three  of  the  latter  shall  be 
described — not  that  I  like  shadows  better  than  sun- 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  MOTHERS.        179 

shine,  but  that  you  may  avoid  the  errors  that  at- 
tracted my  attention. 

Yet,  who  am  I,  that  I  should  dwell  for  a  moment 
on  the  infirmities  of  my  fellow-sinners?  I,  who 
have  as  many  infirmities  in  my  heart,  as  I  have 
grey  kairs  on  my  head  ! 

I  called  on  Mrs.  Brownlow  at  an  unfortunate 
moment,  for  she,  not  knowing  that  I  had  entered 
the  house,  was  rating  one  of  her  maids  in  a  very 
unfeeling  way,  because  the  girl  was  disabled  by 
sickness  from  doing  her  work  properly.  "You 
shall  pack  off  to  the  hospital,"  said  she,  "  or  home 
to  your  mother."  I  am  afraid  Mrs.  Bro\vnlow 
has  a  lesson  or  two  to  learn,  that  can  only  be 
taught  her  in  the  school  of  affliction  ;  but  perha^ps 
something  had' ruffled  her  temper,  and  I  judge  her 
too  harshly. 

I  had  not  seen  Mrs.  Simmons  for  some  time, 
and  it  might  have  been  better  had  I  not  called  just 
when  I  did,  for,  while  waiting  a  minute  in  the 
sitting-room,  Mr.  Simmons  left  the  house,  evidently 
in  anger.  I  heard  a  few  words  that  passed  before 
he  went.  "  This  is  always  the  case,"  said  he,  petu- 
lantly, "  though  I  particularly  requested  you  this 
time  to  attend  to  it."  "  Do  not  make  yourself  angry 
afbout  such  a  trifle,"  said  Mrs.  Simmons  ;  "  it  may 
be  done  in  a  minute."  "  Trifle  as  it  is,"  replied 
Mr.  Simmons,  "  you  knew  that  doing  it  would  add 
to  my  comfort,  and  that  neglecting  it  would  give 
me  pain !"  - 


180  HOMELY   HINTS   TO    MOTHERS. 

What  the  neglect  might  be  1  know  not  ;  per- ' 
haps  it  was  as  Mrs.  Simmons  said,  a  mere  trifle, 
and  perhaps  Mr.  Simmons  is  a  little  whimsical  and 
hasty  ;  but,  however  this  might  be,  if  it  could  have 
been  done  "  in  a  minute,"  to  say  the  least  of  it,  it 
was  neither  kind  nor  prudent  in  Mrs.  Simrfions  to 
neglect  it. 

Mrs.  Rollins  appeared  as  glad  to  see  me  as  if  I 
had  come  from  a  far  country  ;  but  somehow,  her 
two  children  required  so  much  of  her  attention,  to 
manage  them,  that  it  a  little  interfered  with  the  com- 
fort of  my  call.  First,  she  had  to  stroke  dow.n  their 
hair,  which  certainly  was  rather  rueful ;  then  to 
drag  them  forward  to  me,  as  unwillingly  on  their 
part,  as  if  I  had  been  their  schoolmaster.  "  Why 
don't  you  make  a  bow  to  the  gentleman  ?"  said  she  ; 
"  I  am  quite  ashamed  of  you.  Where  have  you 
been,  and  what  have  you  been  doing,  to  rumple 
your  collars  so  ?  Charles,  keep  your  fingers  out 
of  your  mouth.  Robert,  hold  up  your  head." 
Then  I  was  treated  with  hearing  both  of  them  make 
a  vain  attempt  to  repeat  some  verses,  which  she  as- 
sured me  they  could  say  very  prettily.  In  my  next 
call  I  may  drop  a  word  or  two  that  may  be  useful. 
Had  the  poor  lads  been  taught  to  make  a  bow  when 
a  stranger  came  in,  to  keep  their  fingers  out  of  their 
mouths,  to  hold  up  their  heads,  to  avoid  rumpling 
their  frills,  and  to  repeat  what  they  learnt  correctly, 
it  would  not  have  been  necessary  to  have  gone 
through  so  much  drilling  in  my  presence.     Mrs. 


HOMELY    HINTS    TO    MOTHERS.  181 

Rviiirife  ^eems,  however,  to  be  an  affectionate  pa- 
rent ;  and,  though  I  could  not  admire  her  manage- 
ment of  her  children,  I  did  admire  the  love  she 
manifested  for  them. 

I  looked  in  on  Mrs.  Horton,  too,  and  sat  down  to 
dinner  in  a  plain  way  ;  but  her  son  Harry  tried  my 
patience  a  little.  Not  that  it  was  Harry's  fault — O 
no  J  it  was  the  fault  of  his  mother.  Before  I  had 
been  in  the  house  five  minutes,  turning  round  ra- 
ther suddenly,  I  caught  Harry  making  a  face  at 
me.  Now,  I  like  young  folks  to  be  full  of  life  and 
merriment,  and  thought  but  little  of  Harry's  prank, 
though  it  was  by  no  means  approved  of;  but  his  in- 
dulgent mother  fairly  tittered  again,  saying,  "  That 
is  one  of  the  drollest  boys  in  the  world."  With 
such  encouragement  as  this,  no  wonder  that  Harry 
pulled  another  face  at  me  soon  after.  While  Mr. 
Horton  reverently  asked  a  blessing  at  the  dinner- 
table,  Harry  spread  out  his  hands  and  kept  slowly 
shaking  his  head,  mimicking  his  father  ;  for  which. 
I  naturally  expected  his  mother,  who  saw  him, 
would  send  him  away  from  table ;  instead  of  which, 
turning  to  me,  she  said,  "  Is  he  not  a  droll  boy  ?" 
I  felt  sorry  that  a  serious  father  and  mother  should 
be  so  blind  to  the  sad  consequences  that  some  day 
must  follow  their  injudicious  treatment  of  young 
Harry.  When  the  fowls  were  cut  up,  Harry  stuck 
his  fork  in  the  wing  of  one  of  them,  and  held  it 
above  his  head.  "  Put  it  down  this  minute,  you 
droll  boy,"  said  Mrs,  Horton.  Harry,  howeveij. 
16 


182  HOMELY   HINTS   TO   MOTHERS. 

was  not  easily  persuaded  to  do  this,  for  he  saw  that 
his  mother  was  laughing-.  When  he  replaced  the 
wing  on  the  dish,  Mrs.  Horton  observed  to  me  in  a 
whisper  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  every  one  at 
the  table,  "  I  do  think  he  is  the  most  comical 
boy  that  ever  was  born." 

Harry  had  not  been  out  of  the  room  ten  minutes, 
after  dinner,  before  a  noise  was  heard  in  the 
kitchen.  While  the  two  maidservants  were  hav- 
ing their  dinner,  Harry  had  half  emptied  the  vine- 
gar cruet  in  the  plate  of  the  one,  and  pulled  off  the 
cap  of  the  other.  The  girls  were,  of  course,  not  a 
little  angry ;  when  Mrs.  Horton  told  Harry  that 
she  would  not  have  such  pranks  played  with  the 
servants.  "  But,  bless  you,"  said  she,  turning  to 
me,  in  Harry's  hearing,  "  he  can  no  more  help  it 
than  I  can  help  breathing — he  is  of  so  comical  a 
disposition."  I  took  an  opportunity  of  pointing 
out,  in  as  kind  a  way  as  I  knew  how,  my  mind  on 
such  comicality  ;  but  I  saw  that  Mrs.  Horton  was 
far  from  being  pleased  with  me.  Poor  lady,  she  is 
rearing  a  thistle  whose  points  will  get  stronger  and 
sharper  every  day.  She  is  stuffing  a  pillow  with 
thorns,  that  will,  by  and  by,  affect  her  head  and  her 
heart. 

Mothers  !  mothers !  you  have  cares  enough  with 
the  most  tractable  children  ;  what  a  pity  it  is  that 
your  ill-timed  indulgence  should  in  any  case  add  to 
the  weight  of  your  solicitude !  But.  if  I  go  on  at 
this   rate   you  will   think   Ephraim    Holding  a 


HOMELY    HINTS    TO    FATHERS.  183 

spy  in  the  camp,  an  interloper,  a  listener,  a  talker 
of  scandal.  No,  no  ;  I  should  hate  myself  if  I 
deserved  such  a  suspicion.  Not  willingly  would  I 
trespass  on  the  peace  of  any  one :  to  see  a  family 
living  in  harmony  is  a  delight  to  me :  but  if  there 
be  one  member  more  than  another  that  I  honour, 
and  that  I  should  regret  to  wound,  it  is  an  affection- 
ale,  a  prudent,  and  a  pious  mother. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  FATHERS. 

The  longer  Ephraim  Holding  lives  in  the  world, 
the  more  is  he  convinced  of  the  advantage  of  plain 
speaking,  whenever  anything  is  to  be  said  likely  to 
do  good.  He  has  spoken  plainly  to  mothers,  and 
now  he  will  do  so  to  fathers  also. 

There  is  that  in  the  name  of  father  that  disposes 
me  to  pay  respect.  Show  me  the  father  who  desires, 
in  the  midst  of  his  manifold  infirmities,  to  be  a  guide 
or  protector,  and  an  affectionate  counsellor  to  his 
family ;  to  promote  their  welfare  in  this  world,  and 
to  lead  them  to  a  better ;  show  me,  in  a  word,  a 
God-fearing,  affectionate  father,  and  I  will  respect 
and  honour  him,  whether  he  dwell  in  a  lordly 
mansion,  or  a  straw-roofed  cottage. 

In  whatever  light  I  look  at  a  father,  I  always  re- 


184  HOMELY   HINTS   TO    FATHERS. 

gard  him  as  the  pivot  on  which  the  whole  domestic 
concern  moves  ;  the  house-band,  the  corner-stone 
that  binds  the  edifice  together  ;  the  roof-tree  of  the 
family  habitation.  If  the  father  be  not  looked  uy 
to,  there  is  something  deficient  in  his  head  ;  and  if 
he  be  not  loved,  there  is  a  string  out  of  tune  in  his 
heart.  Make  the  best  of  the  matter  you  can,  and 
after  all,  if  the  father  plays  a  second  part,  there 
must  be  an  infirmity  in  his  body  or  his  mind — in  his 
judgment  or  his  affections. 

I  know  this  is  plain  speaking  and  plain  dealing, 
but  not  a  whit  the  less  worth  attending  to  on  that 
account.  Ephraim  Holding  has  told  you  before, 
that  he  loves  to  see  things  in  order ;  and  there  can 
be  no  order  when  persons  or  things  are  out  of  their 
proper  places.  If  I  were  to  paint  a  family  por- 
trait, the  father  should  stand  erect  in  the  centre,  the 
wife  should  lean  upon  him  lovingly,  the  children 
should  gaze  on  him  with  affection,  and  the  faces  of 
the  servants  should  manifest  respect. 

There  is  something  of  an  ennobling  character  in 
this  position,  whose  influence  every  father  ought  to 
feel.  It  is  not  the  idle  vanity,  the  poor  pitiful  pride, 
that  a  little  brief  authority  too  often  excites  in  a  weak 
mind,  that  I  would  provoke  ;  but  a  sense  of  honour- 
able responsibility,  that  calls  forth  the  best  energies  of 
a  man,  and  prompts  him  to  apply  them  to  the  best 
purposes. 

Many  a  good  wife  has  fallen  into  the  mistake  of 
striving  to  get  the  mastery,  considering  it  a  kind  of 


HOMELY   HINTS    TO    FATHERS.  185 

credit  to  her — a  plume  of  feathers  in  her  cap — to 
rule  her  husband.  Now,  Ephraim  Holding  is  not 
the  man  to  keep  back  any  honour  that  can  be 
paid  to  a  good  wife,  but  he  dares  not  give  more 
than  God  allows.  The  word  of  God  is  a  better 
guide  in  these  matters  than  our  poor  opinions. 
Ephraim  will  give  a  text  or  two  that  seems  to  put 
the  matter  beyond  all  doubt,  as  to  whether  the  hus- 
band or  the  wife  should  be  the  head  of  the  family. 
In  the  Old  Testament  it  is  written  thus  of  the  wife 
— "  Thy  desire  shall  be  to  thy  husband,  and  he 
shall  rule  over  thee  ;"  and  in  the  New  Testament 
are  the  words,  "  The  husband  is  the  head  of  the 
wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  church;" 
"  Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  own  hus- 
bands." Now,  if  as  many  texts  can  be  found  in 
Holy  Scripture,  setting  forth  the  contrary  opinion, 
then  will  Ephraim  Holding  acknowledge  that  he  is 
too  great  a  stickler  for  the  point  which  he  has  not 
sufficient  authority  to  maintain. 

Fathers  !  your  post  is  the  head  of  your  family ; 
but  if,  instead  of  aflfectionate  guides,  you  become 
tyrannical  rulers,  you  are  unworthy  the  honourable 
position  in  which  God,  in  his  wisdom,  has  placed 
you.  Ephraim  Holding  would  willingly  raise  you 
to  honour ;  but  if  you  abuse  it  by  pride,  tyranny, 
injustice,  cruelty,  and  unreasonableness  to  your 
wives,  he  would  be  the  first  to  rebuke  you.  "  Love 
your  wives,"  as  husbands ;  love  them  for  their 
16* 


186        HOMELY  HINTS  TO  FATHERS. 

sakes  and  your  own  ;  and,  as  fathers,  love  them  for 
the  sake  of  your  children. 

As  a  bird  beat  about  by  the  tempest  finds  an  asy- 
lum in  his  downy  nest,  so  should  a  father  find  a 
refuge  from  care  and  anxiety,  in  the  peaceful  bosom 
of  his  family. 

Wrangling  and  jangling,  of  any  kind,  is  bad 
enough  ;  but  of  all  wrangling  and  jangling,  that  be- 
tween a  husband  and  wife  is  the  worst.  What  an 
unnatural  sight  it  would  be,  could  we  behold  the 
members  of  the  same  body  violently  opposing  each 
other  ;  the  tongue  railing  against  the  foot,  the  heart 
burning  against  the  head,  the  teeth  tearing  the 
arms,  and  one  hand  wrenching  and  grappling  with 
the  other.  And  are  not  man  and  wife  one  ?  Is  it 
not  written,  "  And  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh  V^ 
Again  I  say,  as  husbands,  love  your  wives,  and,  as 
fathers,  love  your  children. 

But  let  me  ask,  with  all  the  kindly  feeling  of  a 
friend,  how  you  are  bringing  up  your  children? 
This  is  a  point  in  which  we  ought  to  be  honest  and 
faithful  in  our  observations,  because  it  is  a  weak 
point  with  many  of  us.  Eli  of  old,  was  a  good 
man ;  but  what  was  his  sin  ? — "  His  sons  made 
themselves  vile,  and  he  restrained  them  not." 
Happy  is  that  father  who  can  say,  in  the  integrity 
of  his  heart,  "  I  have  neither  ruled  my  children 
with  a  rod  of  iron,  nor  allowed  them  to  do  evil 
without  restraining  them."     It  is  by  no  means  an 


HOMELY   HINTS   TO    FATHERS.  187 

easy  thing  to  "  train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he 
should  go." 

The  persons  who  think  themselves  best  qualified 
to  bring  up  children,  are  usually  those  who  have 
no  children  to  bring  up.  They  would  do  this  and 
that,  if  they  had  a  son  or  a  daughter  ;  and  such 
and  such  things  they  would  never  allow.  Alas  ! 
a  father's  affection  often  leads  him  sadly  astray, 
blinding  his  eyes  when  he  should  see  clearly,  and 
warping  his  judgment  from  that  unbending  stan- 
dard it  ought  to  assume.  But  though  instances  are 
too  often  seen  of  diligent,  moral,  and  pious  parents 
having  idle,  immoral,  and  infidel  children,  let  us  not 
be  swift  to  conclude,  on  this  account,  that  good  ex- 
ample is  of  little  avail. 

In  these  instances  it  will  generally  be  found 
that,  notwithstanding  the  diligence,  the  morality, 
and  the  piety  of  the  parents,  they  have  been  culpably 
negligent  of  some  duty  that  they  ought  to  have  per- 
formed. They  have  done  nothing,  perhaps,  which 
they  ought  not  to  have  done,  but  they  may  have 
left  undone  much  that  they  ought  to  have  done. 

Fathers,  be  not  weary  in  training  up  your  young 
olives  ;  be  not  satisfied  till  they  bud,  and  blossom, 
and  bear  fruit.  Let  them  see  nothing  in  you  to 
avoid,  and  everything  to  imitate.  Be  not  content 
in  pointing  out  to  them  the  road  to  heaven,  but  walk 
before  them  in  the  way  that  leads  to  everlasting 
life. 

There  is   joy,   an    inexpressible    delight,  that 


188  HOMELY    HINTS   TO    FATHERS. 

gathers  round  the  heart  of  a  pious  parent  when  he 
sees  his  children  walking  in  the  ways  of  the  God 
of  their  fathers,  and  acting  an  upright  and  an  hon- 
ourable part  among  mankind  ;  and  there  is  a  joy,  too, 
for  the  pious  parents  of  pious  children,  when  those 
children  are  taken  away. 

"  Parents,  reflect !  reflect  and  weep  no  more  ! 

To  you  the  precious  privilege  is  given, 
Better  than  adding  thousands  to  your  store, 

Of  adding  angels  to  the  host  of  heaven." 

O  that  Ephraim  Holding  could  make  the  heart 
of  every  father  glow  with  the  desire  that  his  chil- 
dren, as  slips  of  his  right  hand-hand  planting,  might 
flourish  and  bloom  in  the  paradise  of  God  ! 

Oliver  Honton  was  a  thoughtless  school-fellow 
of  mine.  He  was  well  brought  up,  married  happi- 
ly, and  had  one  son.  Oliver  thought  that  he  loved 
his  son  ;  but  he  loved  him  not  enough  either  to  set 
him  a  good  example,  or  to  reprove  his  errors. 
William  Honton  took  to  bad  ways,  and  ran  a  rapid 
course  of  sin  and  sorrow,  till,  laden  with  heavy 
irons,  he  lay  a  convicted  felon  in  the  condemned 
cell,  waiting  for  the  hour  of  execution. 

In  this  extremity  of  distress  he  was  visited  by  his 
father,  whose  grey  hairs  he  had  almost  brought 
down  with  sorrow  to  the  grave.  "  I  will  tell  you 
now,"  said  William, "  what  I  never  have  told  you  be- 
fore :  I  will  tell  you  how  I  have  been  brought  to 
this  wretched  end.    I  have  been  led  on,  encouraged, 


HOMELY   HINTS    TO    SONS.  189 

and  betrayed  by  one  who  pretended  to  be  my  best 
friend :  he  has  brought  me  to  ruin." 

"  Who  was  it,"  anxiously  asked  Oliver  Ronton, 
"  that  acted  so  cruel  a  part  ?"  "  It  was,"  said 
William,  looking  earnestly  and  upbraidingly  in 
the  face  of  his  afflicted  parent,  "  it  was  my  own 
father  !" 

Ephraim  Holding  could  add  many  to  this  one 
melancholy  instance  of  a  father's  infirmity  ;  but  this 
one  is  enough.  Thank  God,  examples  are  not 
wanting  of  an  opposite  kind ;  for  the  Giver  of  all 
good  has  been  abundant  in  his  blessings,  and  shown 
mercy  to  thousands  of  the  children  of  those  who 
have  loved  him,  and  kept  his  commandments. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  SONS. 

How  often  has  Ephraim  Holding  caught  the 
sunny  glance  of  a  parent's  eye,  as  it  lighted  affec- 
tionately and  exultingly  on  a  beloved  child  !  How 
often  has  he  witnessed  an  expression  of  joy  that  al- 
most mounted  to  pride,  in  the  approving  smile  of  a 
parent  whose  heart  yearned  towards  his  son  1  Pity 
it  is  that  such  glances  and  such  smiles  are  not  worn 
by  parents  every  day  in  the  year,  and  every  hour  in 
the  day.     And  why  should   they   not   be?    why 


190  HOMELY   HINTS   TO    SONS. 

should  there  be  such  a  thing  as  a  disobedient  son 
or  an  unhappy  parent  in  the  world  ? 

If  children  knew  better  than  they  do,  how  much 
joy  and  sorrow  their  good  and  bad  conduct  put  into 
a  father's  and  mother's  bosom,  surely  they  would  do 
many  things  which  they  now  leave  undone,  and 
leave  undone  much  that  they  now  do. 

Bad  as  the  world  is,  one  v\-ould  think  that  there 
was  affection  enough  in  the  breast  of  a  son  to  make 
his  parents  happy  :  and  so  there  is  in  ten  thousand 
instances  :  let  us  do  all  we  can  to  increase  it. 

I  love  to  see  more  than  common  affection  be- 
tween parents  and  children.  Whether  their  state 
be  high  or  low,  is  of  little  importance,  but  it  is  of 
great  importance  whether  or  not  they  delight  to 
render  each  other  happy.  The  love  of  a  parent  for 
a  child  is  strong  as  death.  What  will  not  a  father 
do,  what  will  not  a  mother  suffer,  to  add  to  the 
happiness  of  a  beloved  child. 

Some  time  ago  I  was  present  in  a  large  town, 
when  the  scholars  of  a  score  of  Sunday  schools  met 
together  to  walk  in  procession  to  a  place  of  worship. 
A  short  woman  was  bustling  about,  at  one  time 
peeping  between  the  people,  at  another  standing  on 
tip-toe,  and  trying  to  look  over  their  heads.  When 
she  came  to  the  place  where  I  was  standing,  she 
could  keep  silence  no  longer,  but  cried  out,  "  That's 
my  son,  sir,  in  the  blue  jacket."  Poor  woman ! 
her  heart  was  full  of  her  son,  and  she  expected  all 


HOMELY   HINTS   TO    SONS.  191 

the  world  would  be  as  much  interested  in  him  as 
she  was. 

I  remember  once  sitting  beside  an  old  gentleman, 
when  a  gold  medal  was  to  be  given  away  as  a  prize 
for  good  conduct  and  attainments  in  learning.  The 
medal  was  presented  to  a  boy  of  about  sixteen  years 
of  age,  who,  it  was  said,  well  merited  the  reward. 
"  Can  you  tell  me  who  that  clever  young  man  is  ?" 
said  I.  "  Sir,"  replied  the  old  gentleman,  sitting 
up  at  least  an  inch  higher  on  his  seat,  "  he  is  my 
son." 

There  was  all  the  father  at  work  in  his  bosom  ; 
and  no  doubt  he  was  much  more  delighted  than  if 
he  himself  had  received  the  golden  medal. 

Ephraim  Holding  notices  these  things  as  he 
moves  about  in  the  world,  and  takes  the  opportu- 
nity of  making  them  known  to  others. 

But  shall  I  tell  you? — yes,  I  will  tell  you  an- 
other instance  of  parental  feeling  towards  a  son.  It 
may  make  your  heart  ache,  but  for  all  that,  it  may 
do  you  good. 

In  spending  a  day  in  a  country  town,  I  was  led 
by  curiosity  to  hear  the  trials  of  the  prisoners  in  the 
County  Hall.  There  were  three  men  placed  at  the 
bar,  who  had  been  found  guilty,  and  the  judge  was 
putting  on  his  black  cap  to  pronounce  the  sentence 
of  the  law,  One  of  the  three,  a  young  man  of  de- 
cent appearance,  who  had  buried  his  face  in  his 
hands,  after  sobbing  convulsively,  lowered  his  head 
to  the  bar  and  gave  a  groan.     His  forehead  and 


192  HOMELY    HINTS    TO    SONS. 

hair  were  wet  with  perspiration  ;  his  body  trembled, 
and  it  was  plain  that  he  was  enduring  the  agonies 
of  fear,  remorse,  and  shame. 

"  What  crime  has  the  unhappy  man  committed  ?" 
said  I,  in  a  whisper,  to  one  who  was  leaning  against 
me.  No  answer  was  returned ;  but,  as  I  tried  to 
lift  up  my  hat  to  prevent  it  from  being  crushed,  a 
big  tear  fell  on  my  hand.  I  looked  up,  and  saw 
the  horror  struck  face  of  a  white-headed  old  man. 
The  truth  flashed  upon  me  at  once,  which  was  af- 
terwards confirmed: — that  white-headed  old  man 
was  the  culprit's  father  ! 

Sons,  of  whatever  age  you  may  be,  add  to  your 
own  happiness  by  adding  to  the  happiness  of  those 
who  gave  you  birth.  The  words  of  holy  writ,  that 
you  learned  in  early  childhood,  should  influence 
you  as  much  as  if  an  angel  cried  aloud,  with  every 
rising  sun,  "  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother, 
that  thy  days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 

It  was  but  yesterday  that  I  was  sitting  with  my 
Bible  before  me,  when,  turning  over  the  leaves,  my 
eye  rested  on  the  book  of  Proverbs.  No  wonder 
that  Solomon  was  called  a  wise  man,  when  he  could 
write  such  a  work ;  but  his  hand  was  under  a  holy 
influence  ;  and,  in  every  verse  it  may  be  said,  "  A 
greater  than  Solomon  is  here." 

The  counsel  given  to  all  in  this  glorious  book  is 
excellent :  but  the  advice  oflfered  to  sons  is  strikingly 


HOMELY   HINTS    TO    SONS.  193 

beautiful.     It  should  be  not  only  in  the  hand  of 
every  son,  but  in  his  head,  and  his  heart. 

"  My  son !  hear  the  instruction  of  thy  father,  and 
forsake  not  the  law  of  thy  mother."  "  My  son  ! 
despise  not  the  chastening  of  the  Lord ;  neither  be 
weary  of  his  correction."  "  My  son  !  if  sinners 
entice  thee,  consent  thou  not."  Why,  these  three 
verses  are  worth  three  thousand  volumes  of  worldly 
wisdom  ;  and  those  sons  who  put  them  in  practice 
will  reap  a  richer  harvest  than  they  would  in  gain- 
ing the  riches  of  the  East. 

Sons  are  usually  fond  of  doing  what  their  fathers 
do ;  and  fathers  will  do  well  to  remember  this,  that 
a  model  may  be  placed  before  their  children,  wor- 
thy their  imitation.  When  I  see  a  son  following 
his  father,  looking  up  to  him,  respecting  his  opin- 
ions, and  honouring  him,  I  have  but  little  fear  of 
his  doing  well.  It  is  true  there  are  bad  fathers, 
who  set  anything  but  a  good  example ;  but  I  trust 
it  is  not  the  case  with  yours. 

Among  the  Indians  of  America  lived  one  Tae- 
too,  a  brave  man  ;  he  had  a  son,  Taponee,  that  he 
loved,  and  his  son  loved  and  reverenced  his  father. 

It  happened  that  Taetoo  was  taken  prisoner  by  a 
tribe  at  war  with  him.  Taetoo  had  heavy  chains 
fastened  on  his  hands  and  his  feet,  and  he  was  cast 
into  prison  with  his  son,  who  shared  his  captivity. 

After  a  time,  Taponee,  being  a  fine  youth,  was 
taken  before  the  chief  whose  prisoner  he  was.     The 
chief,  WillahoOj  having  no  child,  wished  to  adopt 
17 


194  HOMELY   HINTS   TO    DAUGHTERS, 

him  as  his  son.  "  Taponee,"  said  he,  showing  him 
rich  ornaments  for  the  wrists  and  the  ancles, 
"  choose  which  you  will — they  are  all  at  your  dis- 
posal." Taponee  took  them  up,  one  by  one,  and 
then  replaced  them  on  the  ground.  "  As  you  give 
me  my  choice,"  said  the  noble  youth,  "  I  had  ra- 
ther w'jar  such  as  my  father  wears." 

It  was  a  noble  answer,  a  high-souled  reply,  to  a 
tempting  seduction ;  the  bonds  of  his  father  were 
more  grateful  than  the  gifts  of  a  prince.  Sons,  re- 
fuse not  the  lesson  given  by  the  unlettered  Indian. 

To  you  who  are  young,  I  would  speak  earnestly. 
Let  all  that  is  good  in  your  parents  be  seen  in  you. 
The  rattle  of  the  earth  on  the  coffin-lid  of  a  parent 
is  a  fearful  thing  ;  but  the  consciousness  of  having 
been  an  undutiful  son  is  yet  more  fearful.  Eph- 
raim  Holding  has  known  the  one,  and  humbly 
blesses  God  for  having  been  kept  in  ignorance  of 
the  other. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  DAUGHTERS. 

I  HAVE  spoken  a  word  affectionately  to  the  aged 
members  of  a  family,  and  I  trust  they  have  received 
it  in  an  affectionate  spirit.  I  have  addressed  fathers, 
QjQd  mothers,  and  felt  towards  them  as  they  feel  to- 


HOMELY   HINTS   TO    DAUGHTERS.  195 

wards  those  whom  we  delight  to  honour.  I  have 
directed  to  sons  my  well-meant,  however  imperfect, 
observations  :  and  now,  I  have  something  to  say  to 
daughters,  who  will  wrong  me  if  they  take  Eph- 
raim  Holding  to  be  other  than  their  friend 

If  the  aged  members  be  the  sober  and  silent  mo- 
nitors, that  give  a  deeper  and  more  pious  tone  to 
the  affairs  of  a  family ,  if  the  father  be  the  roof-tree 
of  the  establishment ;  the  mother  the  centre  of  the 
in-door  circle  ;  and  the  son  the  hope  ;  the  daughter 
is,  assuredly,  the  grace,  the  ornament,  and  the  joy 
of  the  whole.  While  the  mother  extends  the  com- 
forts of  those  around  her,  the  daughter  advances  a 
little  farther.  She  looks  about  her  ;  observes  the 
prevailing  tastes  and  adopted  elegancies  of  life ; 
blends  with  the  customs  of  days  gone  by,  the  man- 
ners of  present  times,  and  prevents  the  family  from 
falling  behind  the  rest  of  the  world.  How  sweetly 
she  jests  her  grandfather  and  grandmother  out  of 
their  old-fashioned  notions  !  How  lovingly  she 
coaxes  her  parents  into  those  desirable  changes, 
which,  but  for  her,  they  never  would  adopt!  I  am 
speaking  of  daughters  who  have  passed  the  age  of 
childhood. 

The  important  part  that  a  daughter  has  in  pros- 
pect, give  an  interest  in  her  character  and  her  ac- 
tions, from  the  time  of  the  dressing  her  first  waxen 
doll,  to  the  age  of  womanhood.  The  lily  of  the 
valley  is  not  more  exposed  to  danger,  though  that, 
in  its  loveliness  and  loneliness,  may  be  nipped  by 


196  HOMELY   HINTS    TO    DAUGHTERS. 

every   unkindly   blast,   or   rent  by  every    raging 
storm. 

When  Ephraim  Holding  regards  the  weakness, 
the  helplessness  of  woman,  he  is  only  kept  from  de- 
sponding thoughts  by  the  remembrance  that  "  the 
eyes  of  the  Lord  are  in  every  place ;"  that  "  the 
name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower ;"  and  that  "  the 
mercy  of  the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to  everlasting 
upon  them  that  fear  him,  and  his  righteousness  unto 
children's  children." 

It  has  given  me  pleasure  and  profit  to  notice,  in 
my  visits,  the  dispositions  of  daughters  in  differ- 
ent families.  I  have  seen  much  to  admire,  and 
something  to  lament.  Humility  has  graced  the  be- 
haviour of  one,  and  pride  has  disfigured  the  fore- 
head of  another.  Here,  I  have  noticed  affectionate 
respect  and  tractability,  and  there  pertness  and  ob- 
stinacy. On  the  whole,  however,  the  good  qualities 
have  prevailed.  There  has  been  manifested  an  affec- 
tionate, docile,  obedient  spirit ;  a  love  of  works  of 
charity,  and  an  attention  to  holy  things,  that  has  at 
times  made  my  heart  glad.  A  little  too  much  of 
the  love  of  dress  and  music,  and  somewhat  too  little 
of  the  love  of  solid  and  useful  instruction,  may  be 
rather  general ;  but  for  all  this,  the  good  qualities, 
as  I  said  before,  seemed  to  prevail.  O  that  a  more 
fervent  glow  of  Christian  love  and  holy  zeal  were 
felt  in  every  breast :  and  that  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  fellowship  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  were  abundantly  enjoyed  by  us  all ! 


HOMELY    HINTS    TO    DAUGHTERS.  197 

But  if  Epbraim  Holding  finds  a  pleasure  in 
speaking  in  praise  of  daughters,  he  must  not,  on 
that  account,  neglect  to  give  thenn  a  word  of  caution. 
Who  is  there  in  this  wide  world  to  whom  advice  is 


unnecessary- 


There  are  seasons  when  the  smile  of  a  daughter 
is  like  a  sunbeam  to  the  care-worn  hearts  of  her 
parents.  Daughters  may  do  much  towards  enliv- 
ening the  shadowy  hours  of  domestic  life:  they 
may  increase  its  joys,  and  assuage  its  afflictions.  A 
daughter  should  be  an  assistance  to  her  mother,  a 
solace  to  her  father,  and  a  comfort  to  her  brothers 
and  her  sisters. 

O  how  goodly  a  thing  it  is  to  see  a  family  dwell 
together  in  unity !  and  how  evil  a  thing  it  is  for 
father  and  son  to  oppose  each  other,  and  for  a 
daughter-in-law  to  rise  up  against  her  mother-in- 
law  !  But  away  with  the  unlovely  picture,  for  it 
is  hateful  to  gaze  on.  Dutiful  children  value  their 
parents  very  highly  ;  and  none  but  a  parent  can  tell 
how  much  beyond  all  price  is  a  good  son,  and  an 
affectionate,  diligent,  tractable,  prudent,  and  pious, 
daughter. 

Though  circumspection  be,  at  all  times,  neces- 
sary, there  is  a  season  when  daughters  should  be 
more  circumspect  than  ordinary ;  and  that  is  when 
they  are  old  enough  to  be  sought  in  marriage. 
This  is  too  important  a  point  not  to  be  dwelt  upon. 
Daughters,  you  will  do  well  to  mark  the  observa- 
tions of  Ephraim  Holding.  Marriage  is  an  hon- 
17* 


198  HOMELY   HINTS    TO    DAUGHTERS. 

curable  estate,  and,  when  entered  into  under  suitable 
circumstances,  not  to  be  undervalued  ;  but  there  are 
other  things,  besides  our  inclinations,  to  be  taken 
into  consideration. 

I  have  known  a  daughter  labour  hard  with  her 
hands  to  support  a  disabled  father,  refusing  to  marry 
while  her  afflicted  parent  stood  in  need  of  her 
assistance.  I  have  known  a  daughter  piously 
continue  to  attend  the  couch  of  a  bed-ridden  mo- 
ther, watching  over  her  declining  days,  when  she 
might  have  entered  a  more  cheerful  home  with  her 
intended  husband.  These  are  instances  of  filial 
affection  that  Ephraim  Holding  loves  to  hold  up  to 
general  respect. 

But  even  when  there  are  no  restrictions  of  this 
kind,  daughters,  and  especially  Christian  daugh- 
ters, will  do  well  to  use  great  caution  in  entering 
into  wedlock.  A  parent's  counsel  is  of  great 
value  at  such  a  season.  Many  have  found,  to 
their  sorrow,  the  bitter  consequences  of  neglect- 
ing it. 

It  is  hard  for  parents  to  watch  over,  and  water, 
as  it  were,  their  lovely  plant,  only  to  see  it  snatched 
away  by  a  hand  that  regards  it  as  a  thing  of  little 
worth.  It  is  hard  when  a  daughter  repays  with 
disobedience  the  affection  of  her  parents  ;  and  yet, 
how  many  a  father's  hope  has  been  blighted ! 
how  many  a  mother's  bosom  been  rent  with  ag- 
ony, by  the  imprudent  marriage  of  a  beloved 
daughter ! 


HOMELY   HINTS    TO   DAUGHTERS.  199 

Let  it  be  remembered,  that  hasty  marriages  are, 
almost  always  imprudent,  though  they  may  not 
appear  so  at  the  time  :  unlooked  for,  and  unhappy 
consequences  too  often  follow.  Daughters,  I  will 
give  you  a  sketch  from  the  life.  Alas  !  it  is  too  true. 

It   was  but   as   yesterday   that  three   carriages 

drove  at  a  rapid  rate  to church.     Every  one 

might  see  that  it  was  a  bridal  party.  There  was  a 
gaiety,  a  light-heartedness,  a  display,  that  could  not 
but  attract  the  notice  of  all  who  caught  only  a  mo- 
mentary glance  of  the  rapidly  passing  pageant. 
The  drivers  wore  their  white  favours  proudljr,  and 
cracked  their  whips  ostentatiously  ;  and  if  the  fair 
bride  had  a  tear  on  her  cheek,  the  sunny  smile  that 
settled  there  soon  chased  it  away. 

Come,  I  may  as  well  tell  the  truth  at  once ; 
I  was  one  of  the  party.  The  morn  had  been  over- 
cast; but  suddenly  the  sky  became  bright;  and 
when  the  youthful  pair  quitted  their  carriages 
to  enter  the  church,  a  path  of  sunshine  was  be- 
fore them. 

What  has  man  to  do  with  pride  ?  And  yet  I  felt 
pride  as  I  walked  along  the  flat  stones  of  the 
church-yard,  the  fair  bride  leaning  on  one  arm,  and 
a  fair  bridesmaid  on  the  other. 

It  was  mine  to  give  away  her  who  had  been  so 
ardently  sought,  and  so  hastily  won  ;  and  in  doing 
so  I  breathed  a  prayer  that  the  gift  might  be  valued 
and  found  invaluable. 

That  must  needs  be  a  solemn  period  when  beings 


200  HOMELY    HINTS    TO    DAUGHTERS 

of  infirmity  plight  their  troth  in  the  presence  of  the 
Holy  One,  faithfully  and  affectionately  to  share 
each  other's  weal  and  woe  till  death  shall  part 
them  !  But  let  me  hasten  on.  Their  hands  were 
joined,  and  we  left  the  church,  while  a  blithesome 
peal  rung  from  the  tower. 

It  was  a  gay  and  interesting  scene  when  we  sat 
down  to  the  morn's  repast.  The  mother  of  the 
bride  acted  well  her  part,  presiding  at  one  end  of 
the  table,  while  I  endeavoured  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties of  the  other.  I  need  not  paint  the  scene.  The 
repast  was  elegant  and  tasteful.  Unnumbered  dain- 
ties graced  the  board,  and  sparkling  wines,  and  or- 
namented bridecakes,  and  green-house  flowers,  form- 
ed part  of  the  profusion. 

Sunny  was  the  scene  ;  but  I  will  not  dwell  upon 
it  now.  Enough  that  the  sparkling  eyes  of  the 
new-married  pair  told  of  the  happiness  that  glowed 
in  their  hearts.  How  could  they,  indeed,  be  other- 
wise than  happy,  secure  in  each  other's  love,  and 
surrounded  by  kind-hearted  and  Christian  friends, 
breathing  their  ardent  wishes  for  their  welfare ! 
Each  guest  seemed  glad :  the  pair  were  pledged, 
glasses  were  raised  to  the  lip,  and  the  bridegroom 
gave  his  thanks. 

We  knelt  together  while  the  minister,  who  had 
joined  their  hands  in  holy  matrimony,  committed 
the  youthful  pair  in  prayer  to  Him  who  alone  could 
defend  them  in  dangers,  direct  them '  in  difficulty, 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  DAUGHTERS.       201 

bless  them  with  his  grace,  guide  them  with  his 
counsel,  and  bring  them  to  his  glory. 

The  married  pair  put  on  their  travelling  dresses 
to  commence  their  wedding  journey ;  whether  for 
Brighton,  or  Hastings,  or  Margate,  no  matter.  For 
a  moment  they  entered  the  banquet-room.  All 
around  them  was  sunshine,  and  kind  adieus,  and 
piles  of  bride-cake,  and  papers  of  white  kid  gloves, 
and  embossed  cards,  paired  together  tastefully  with 
silver  wire,  bearing  the  names  of  those  who  were 
happy  ;  and  bouquets  of  flowers  met  their  eyes  in 
all  directions.  Crack  went  the  whip,  whirl  went 
the  wheels,  and  two  united  hearts,  beating  quickly, 
set  off  on  their  new  career  of  worldly  joy. 

Have  six  months  passed  away  ?  O  no  !  not 
near  so  long  a  period.  Not  five,  and  scarcely  four. 
It  was  yesterday  I  passed  by  the  church :  well 
might  I  pause  at  the  gate,  for  I  had  not  gazed  upon 
the  spot  since  the  happy  bridal  party  alighted  there. 
The  sun  shone  not,  no  blithe  peal  rung  from  the 
tower,  but  all  seemed  silent  and  sad  ;  yet  not  sadder 
than  my  thoughts. 

The  happy  pair,  who  so  lately  entered  on  their 
flowery  path  of  domestic  joy,  had  already  found  it 
thickly  set  with  thorns.  The  fairy  fabric  of  happi- 
ness, which  their  fond  expectations  had  raised,  had 
been  as  completely  destroyed  as  the  card-house  of  a 
child,  blown  down  by  accident.  They  had  dis- 
agreed, keenly  reproached  each  other,  and  parted, 
with  bitter  regret  that  they  had  ever  met ;  he  to  live 


202       HOMELY   HINTS   TO    YOUNGER   CHILDREN. 

alone  and  brood  over  the  unhappy  past,  and  she  to 
return  home  to  her  friends. 

Shall  I  disclose,  at  full  length,  my  view  of  the 
unhappy  causes  that  led  in  succession  to  these 
events  1  No :  never  shall  Ephraim  Holding  cross 
the  sacred  threshold  of  domestic  life  for  the  unhal- 
lowed purpose  of  holding  up  human  infirmity  to 
view !  Enough  for  him  if  he  can  snatch  an  im- 
pressive lesson  from  the  short-lived  joys  of  an  un- 
happy pair,  wherewith  to  warn  the  young  and  in- 
considerate. Enough  it  is  to  say  that  the  parties 
had  married  hastily,  without  a  suitable  knowledge 
of  each  other. 

How  necessary  is  this  knowledge  to  those  who 
are  to  share  each  other's  joys  and  sorrows  till 
death  !  How  necessary  that  they  should  be  willing 
to  bear  each  other's  infirmities,  as  well  as  to  admire 
each  other's  excellencies  !  Daughters,  profit  by  the 
caution  of  your  friend,  Ephraim  Holding. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  YOUNGER  CHILDREN. 

Now  I  have  caught  you,  my  little  rosy  cheeks  I 
Come,  tell  me  what  you  are  all  playing  at !  Ho, 
ho !  I  can  see  now ;  you  have  a  whipping-top 
among  you  ;  that's  right,  flog  away  my  little  fatty ; 


HOMELY   HINTS    TO   YOUNGER.    CHILDREN.        203 

it  is  an  excellent  exercise,  and  you  need  not  be 
afraid  of  hurting  the  top.  Capital !  capital  I  He 
spins  bravely  ;  not  one  among  you  can  turn  round 
half  so  nimbly.  I  question  if  I  could  whip  a  top 
half  so  well,  for  the  joints  of  old  men  are  stiff,  and 
they  cannot  stoop  down  and  caper  as  you  do.  By 
and  by,  I  shall  have  something  to  say  about  a 
whipping-top. 

Ay  !  ay  !  Miss  there,  in  the  pink  frock,  I  see  that 
your  doll  is  dressed  out  as  gay  as  a  peacock — blue, 
and  red,  and  yellow^  If  I  were  decked  out  half 
as  fine,  I  should  have  a  score  of  people  running 
after  me.  Who  can  tell?  perhaps  I  may  have 
something  to  say  about  a  doll,  too. 

What !  three  of  you  climbing  on  my  knees  at 
once !  That  will  never  do,  my  merry  hearts. 
I  have  got  but  two  knees,  so  you  cannot  have  one 
apiece,  you  know.  Well,  and  what  have  you  got 
on  my  lap  for  ?  Surely  you  have  not  found  out  the 
gingerbread-nuts  in  my  pocket!  I  may  as  well 
pull  them  out  at  once.  Here  they  are  1  and  every 
one  of  you  shall  have  some,  for  I  know  that  they 
are  made  of  good  and  wholesome  materials. 

And  now,  while  you  are  eating  my  gingerbread- 
buttons,  you  must  listen  to  a  word  or  two  that  I 
have  got  to  say  to  you.  Ay,  that  is  right ;  all  of 
you  come  round  me  as  close  as  you  can. 

Well  now,  you  have  been  whipping  a  top,  and  you 
find  that  it  wont  do  at  all  without  whipping.  There 
are  some  little  boys  that  I  know,  who,  now  and 


204        HOMELY    HINTS    TO    YOUNGER    CHILDREN. 

then,  want  whipping  quite  as  bad  as  the  top  does, 
and  they  go  on  all  the  better  for  it.  You  shake 
your  heads,  I  see  ;  well,  we  will  say  no  more  about 
this  part  of  the  story.  Ephraim  Holding  was  once 
a  little  boy,  and,  for  ought  that  I  know,  he  might 
stand  in  need  of  a  whipping  as  well  as  his  neigh- 
bours. 

You  see  that  this  top  cannot  stir  of  itself ;  you 
must  make  it  go  round,  or  else  it  will  never  go. 
This  is  just  the  case  with  all  of  you.  If  God  had 
not  given  you  power  to  move,  you  could  not  stir  a 
finger ;  you  can  no  more  put  one  foot  before  the 
other,  without  God,  than  the  top  can  turn  round 
without  you. 

I  see  that  you  are  thinking  of  what  I  have  said, 
so  I  will  say  a  little  more.  The  doll  that  you  have 
there  is  a  very  pretty  doll ;  how  clear  is  the  colour 
in  her  cheek,  and  how  bright  her  eyes  are  !  You 
might,  almost,  suppose  she  was  going  to  speak ; 
but,  no,  she  can't  speak.  She  is  dressed  very  fine, 
and  looks  very  pretty  ;  but,  like  the  top,  she  cannot 
stir  unless  you  put  her  in  motion. 

Now,  tell  me  wherein  you  are  different  from  the 
top  and  the  doll  ?  You  stare  at  one  another,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "  What  an  odd  question !  the  top 
is  a  wooden  top,  and  the  doll  is  a  waxen  doll ;  we 
are  not  made  of  wood  or  of  wax  either."  Well,  I 
know  you  are  not,  but  you  are  made  of  materials 
that  will  crumble  into  dust  like  wood  and  wax ; 
therefore,  there  is  no  great  difference  on  that  account. 


HOMELY   HINTS   TO   YOUNGER    CHILDREN.       205 

There  is  a  much  greater  difference  than  that.  Tell 
me  what  it  is  ?  You  are  silent.  Ay,  I  see  how- 
it  is  ;  you  are  puzzled. 

Perhaps  you  think  it  is  because  you  are  alive, 
and  the  top  and  doll  are  not  alive.  That  is  a  great 
difference,  certainly,  but  it  is  not  what  I  mean. 
Look,  there  is  the  tabby  cat  sitting  upon  her  tail ; 
she  is  alive,  she  can  do  more  than  the  top  or  the 
doll ;  she  can  run  and  scamper  about,  and  climb 
trees,  and  mew,  and  catch  mice  ;  but,  for  all  this, 
she  is  like  the  top  and  the  doll ;  she  has  no  soul. 
Now,  if  God  has  given  you  more  than  he  has  given 
to  the  cat,  you  ought  to  be  very  thankful. 

It  is  your  soul  that  enables  you  to  pray  to  God, 
and  to  understand  his  word.  The  top  and  the  doll, 
after  a  while,  will  be  broken  to  pieces  ;  the  cat  will 
die,  and  your  bodies  will  moulder  to  dust ;  but  your 
soul  will  still  be  alive  ;  it  will  live  for  ever. 

Now,  think,  my  little  dears !  as  God  has  been 
so  good  as  to  give  you  a  soul,  that  is  to  live  for  ever 
— a  soul  that  is  worth  ten  thousand  worlds — think 
how  thankful  you  should  be  for  it ;  and  what  care 
you  should  take  of  it. 

You  are  careful  of  the  top  and  of  the  doll,  and 
would  not  hurt  poor  pussy  ;  and  you  are  careful  not 
to  injure  your  bodies  ;  but  you  should  be  a  hundred 
times  more  careful  about  your  souls. 

It  pleases  me  to  see  you  pay  so  much  attention 
to  what  I  say  ;  perhaps  you  have  been  often  talked 
to  in  this  way  before  ;  but  never  mind  that :  young 
18 


206       HOMELY   HINTS   TO    YOUNGER   CHH^DREN. 

people  require  to  be  told  the  same  thing,  over  and 
over  again. 

I  am  an  old  man,  and  have  lived  a  many  years  in 
the  world,  and  I  love  to  see  children  happy  ;  but  as 
I  know  they  cannot  be  happy  without  loving  God, 
so  I  talk  to  them,  that  they  may  love  him  for  all 
his  goodness  to  them. 

You  would  not  put  the  top  nor  the  doll  in  the 
fire,  for  if  you  did,  the  one  would  be  burnt,  and  the 
other  would  be  melted.  You  \4feuld  not  stick  a  pin 
in  poor  pussy,  nor  in  your  own  finger,  for  that 
would  be  putting  you  both  to  great  pain  ;  it  would 
be  very  weak  and  foolish  to  do  these  things.  Do 
you  not  think  so  ?  I  see  that  you  do  ;  well,  then, 
how  weak,  and  how  wicked  too,  it  must  be  to  hurt 
the  soul. 

Now,  the  soul  cannot  be  injured  by  the  fire,  nor 
by  the  pricking  of  a  pin  ;  but  I  will  tell  you  what 
injures  it  very  much  indeed.  It  is  injured  by  every 
wicked  word,  and  every  sinful  deed.  Every  child 
that  tells  an  untruth  ;  that  takes  God's  holy  name 
in  vain  ;  that  steals,  if  it  be  but  a  pin  ;  that  dis- 
obeys his  parents  ;  that  practises  cruelty ; — every 
child  that  does  any  of  these  things,  injures  his  soul. 

You  see  that,  though  I  am  an  old  man,  I  can  talk 
as  plainly  to  you  as  if  I  were  a  child.  Now  then, 
remember,  that  Ephraim  Holding  told  you,  that  a 
scratch,  or  a  cut  does  not  hurt  the  body  half  so 
much  as  an  ill  temper,  or  a  naughty  passion  hurts 
the  soul. 


HOMELY"   HINTS   TO   YOUNGER    CHILDREN.        207 

I  want  you  to  grow  up  as  the  holy  child  Jesus 
grew  in  his  youth,  when  he  was  in  this  world. 
Perhaps  you  may  remember  how  that  was  : — 
'•  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  fa- 
vour with  God  and  man."  This  will  be  the  way 
to  do  good  to  your  souls ;  this  will  be  the  way  to 
be  happy. 

How  soon  you  have  eaten  up  my  gingerbread 
buttons  !  You  must  not,  however,  soon  forget  my 
words.  The  more  you  love  God,  the  happier  will 
you  be ;  remember  this,  and  remember,  too,  a  text 
that  I  am  going  to  give  you,  for  then  you  will  see 
that  God  loves  those  who  love  him  : — "  I  love  them 
that  love  me  ;  and  those  that  seek  me  early  shall 
find  me." 

Some  day  or  other,  perhaps,  you  and  I  may  talk 
a  little  more  about  these  things  ;  but  see  I  the  tabby 
cat  has  jumped  up,  and  is  playing  with  the  ball  of 
worsted  on  the  floor  ;  you  would  like  to  be  playing, 
too,  I  dare  say.  Come,  Miss  pinky,  where  is  your 
doll  ?  Now  my  little  fatty,  once  more  set  about 
your  top,  and,  while  that  is  running  round  and 
round,  Ephraim  Holding  must  run  off  in  a  different 
direction. 


HOMELY  HINTS  TO  SERVANTS. 

For  me  to  enter  a  family  circle  ;  to  talk  with  the 
aged  people  ;  to  converse  with  the  master  and  mis- 
tress ;  to  have  something  to  say  with  the  younger 
branches  ;  and  altogether  to  neglect  the  servants, 
would  never  do  at  all.  I  would  render  "  to  all 
their  dues  ;  tribute  to  whom  tribute  is  due,  custom 
to  whom  custom,  fear  to  whom  fear,  honour  to 
whom  honour  ;"  but,  in  doing  this,  I  must  bear  in 
mind,  that  a  faithful,  conscientious  servant  is  deserv- 
ing of  great  respect. 

It  has  fallen  to  my  lot,  in  moving  about  in  the 
world,  to  be  ministered  to  by  many  an  upright  ser- 
vant* from  my  very  youth  up  to  this  day ;  and, 
therefore,  if  any  man  breathing  is  bound,  in  com- 
mon honesty  to  speak  well  of  good  servants, 
that  man  is  Ephraim  Holding.  Yes,  from  the 
gold-laced  liveried  footman,  to  the  country  lad 
that  runs  on  errands,  and  cleans  the  boots  and 
shoes ;  from  the  lady's  maid  to  the  scullion,  who 
scours  the  pots  and  kettles — show  me  a  faithful  ser- 
vant, and  that  servant  shall  have  my  respect:  but, 
mind  you  !  my  eyes  are  wide  open  to  the  failings 
of  servants,  for  all  this.  In  speaking  of  their  bad 
as  well  as  of  their  good  qualities,  I  shall  do  it  with 
a  kindly  spirit. 


HOMELY    HINTS    TO    SERVANTS.  209 

We  should  all  do  well  to  remember,  that  the 
oest  and  wisest  of  mankind  have  acknowledged 
themselves  to  be  servants.  Indeed,  to  be  a  faithful 
servant  of  God,  is  to  enjoy  the  highest  honour  that 
can  be  put  upon  man.  If  we  thought  of  this  more, 
perhaps  we  should  be  more  disposed  to  respect  a 
good  servant  than  we  are.  But  servants  should 
also  consider  how  great  a  reproach  it  is  to  be  un- 
faithful. What  a  pleasant  thing  would  it  be,  if 
men,  instead  of  giving  themselves  the  trouble  they 
do,  to  trace  their  relationship  to  the  high  and 
mighty  of  the  earth,  would  endeavour  to  trace  back 
their  genealogy  to  some  faithful  servant  of  God, 
that  they  might  tread  in  his  steps,  and  imitate  his 
holy  example  ! 

Throughout  the  holy  Scripture,  the  patriarchs, 
the  prophets,  and  the  apostles,  are  continually 
called  "servants  of  the  Lord;"  and,  even  of  our 
gracious  Redeemer  it  is  said,  that  He  who  "  thought 
it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,"  "  made  him- 
self of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form 
of  a  servant."  See,  then,  h-ow  the  character  of  a 
servant  has  been  honoured  !  and  see  also  what  all 
ought  to  be  who  sustain  that  character  ;  honest  in 
all  things,  and  faithful  even  unto  death. 

It  may  be  that  some  powdered  lackey,  whose 
garments  are  stiff  with  gold  or  silver  lace,  may- 
glance  over  these  remarks  of  Ephraim  Holding ; 
and,  if  so,  to  him  I  say  with  affection,  Are  you  the 
servant  of  God  ?  for,  if  you  are  not,  there  is  much 
18* 


210  HOMELY    HINTS   TO   SERVANTS. 

reason  to  fear  that  you  are  not  faithful  to  youi 
earthly  master.  Feel  not  offended  at  my  remark, 
unless  you  are  satisfied  it  is  unjust.  He  who  can 
be  unfaithful  to  God,  may  well  be  suspected  of  un- 
faithfulness to  man. 

And  if  some  simple-minded  house-maid,  or  cook, 
or  nurse-girl,  as  she  sits  in  her  clean-swept  kitchen, 
or  upper  chamber,  on  the  afternoon  or  evening  of 
the  Sabbath-day,  should  take  up  these  observations 
of  Ephraim  Holding — if  she  be  walking  heaven- 
ward, a  sincere,  however  lowly,  disciple  of  the  Re- 
deemer, let  her  be  encouraged ;  let  her  know  that 
there  are  many,  above  her  situation  in  life,  who  do 
not  look  down  on  servants  with  pride,  but  on  the 
contrary,  highly  respect  them,  and  feel  interested  in 
their  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare.  I  would  wil- 
lingly speak  only  in  praise  of  servants,  but  that 
would  not  be  acting  uprightly.  There  are  many 
failings  among  them — sad  failings  ;  let  me  glance 
over  a  few  of  them. 

A  man-servant,  whose  life  had  been  mostly 
passed  in  service,  told  me,  that  if  he  were  to  des- 
cribe one  half  of  the  deceit  and  roguery  practised 
by  servants  in  high  life,  I  should  not  give  credit  to 
his  assertions ;  folly,  extravagance,  waste,  and  rob- 
bery, are  recklessly  persevered  in. 

"  I  have  known,"  said  he,  "  men-servants,  after 
leaving  their  master  at  a  ball,  drive  round  in  his 
carriage  to  pick  up  their  own  company,  return 
home,  dress  themselves  in  his  clothes,  and  drink  his 


HOMELY   HINTS   TO   SERVANTS.  211 

wine  with  their  dissolute  companions,  as  freely  as 
water." 

A  respectable  servant,  on  whose  word  I  can  rely, 
once  told  me  the  following  facts  : — 

"  At  a  place  in  which  I  once  lived,"  said  she,  "  a 
certain  sum  was  deducted  from  what  I  otherwise 
should  have  received  for  wages,  in  consequence  of 
my  being  supplied  with  tea  and  sugar.  My  fellow- 
servant  called  me  a  fool  for  making  such  an  agree- 
ment, as  I  might  have  saved  myself  the  sum  very 
well,  by  helping  myself,  as  she  had  always  been  in 
the  habit  of  doing,  from  the  china  closet,  whenever 
an  opportunity  occurred. 

"  Another  fellow-servant  had  not  been  allowed 
meat  for  supper ;  '  but,'  said  she,  '•  I  will  tell  you 
how  I  manage  the  matter.  I  cut  off  more  meat  at 
dinner-time  than  I  can  eat,  and  put  by  as  much  as  I 
want  for  supper,  so  that  no  one  knows  anything  of 
the  matter."  The  same  girl,  on  taking  away  the 
cloth  from  such  of  her  puddings  as  were  boilded  in  a 
basin,  frequently  cut  off  the  pudding  level  with  the 
basin  for  herself,  before  she  turned  it  in  the  dish  for 
the  dining-room,  affecting  all  the  time  to  care  little 
for  pudding. 

"  Once,  when  I  had  entered  on  a  fresh  place,  I 
had  occasion  to  call  on  a  married  woman,  who 
asked  me  if  she  could  do  any  needle-work  of  any 
kind  for  me.  Not  exactly  understanding  her  mean- 
ing, she  showed  me  a  large  pocket  of  green  tea, 
telling  me  that  she  had  it  from  some  servants  in  the 


212  HOMELY    HINTS    TO    SERVANTS. 

neighbourhood,  whose  needle-work  she  did  in  re- 
turn. Ever  since  her  marriage  she  had,  in  this 
manner,  been  regularly  supplied  with  tea. 

"  A  servant  girl  that  I  knew,  felt  offended  at  hear- 
ing her  master  express  himself  proudly  aoout  ser- 
vants drinking  out  of  the  same  vessel  as  himself; 
this,  he  had  no  doubt,  was  the  case  at  times,  when 
they  went  to  draw  the  drink  in  the  cellar.  After 
this  it  was  the  regular  custom  with  the  girl,  when 
ever  she  drew  drink  for  her  master,  to  breathe  with 
all  her  might  into  the  glass  or  cup,  in  order  that  her 
proud  master  might  be  spited." 

Now,  these  are  sad  instances  of  dishonesty  and 
bad  conduct  on  the  part  of  servants.  Look  at  them 
for  a  moment,  and  ask  yourselves  whether  these 
are  actions  of  which  an  upright  and  conscientious 
servant  can  be  guilty. 

I  well  remember  once  uncorking  a  bottle  of 
wine  myself,  when,  being  called  away,  a  glass-full 
had  disappeared  on  my  return.  Marking  the  bot- 
tle, I  again  put  it  in  the  cupboard,  and  soon  after 
found  another  glass-full  gone.  In  this  way  I  went 
on,  putting  a  mark  level  with  the  wine  in  the  bot- 
tle, without  ever  pouring  out  a  drop.  In  a  few  days 
the  bottle  was  quite  empty. 

A  friend  of  mine  found  a  pot  of  currant  jam 
grow  less  and  less  very  rapidly  :  when  he  spread 
very  freely  over  the  top  some  ipecacuanha.  A  ser- 
vant who  was  suspected,  very  shortly  after,  by  her 
sudden  and  violent  sickness,  made  it  very  apparent 


HOMELY   HINTS    TO    SERVANTS.  213 

in  what  way  the  currant-jam  had  been  dispos- 
ed of. 

It  is  not  more  than  a  few  weeks  ago,  that  a  man 
was  taken  before  the  magistrate,  who  had  in  his 
wheelbarrow  more  than  a  hundred  weight  of 
wax.  This  had  been  obtained  from  servants  in 
houses  where  wax  candles  were  used ;  and  every- 
one who  is  accustomed  to  glance  over  the  newspa- 
pers, must  have  been  struck  with  the  frequent  rob- 
beries of  plate  by  servants  ;  but  enough  and  more 
than  enough  on  this  shadowy  side  of  my  subject. 
Ephraim  Holding  grieves  that  servants  should  so 
far  stand  in  their  own  light,  as  to  consider  a  few  bits 
and  drops,  a  few  candle  ends  and  scraps  of  tea,  a 
sufficient  return  for  the  loss  of  their  character,  and 
the  absence  of  their  peace  of  mind. 

Servants !  servants !  you  are  better  known  than 
you  may  think  for  ;  your  little  pilferings,  your  piti- 
ful deceits,  your  treacherous  tale-bearings,  do  you 
much  more  mischief  than  they  do  those  you  serve. 
The  wages  you  receive  are  not  paid  for  your  work 
alone,  but  for  your  honesty,  your  fidelity,  your 
good  behaviour,  and  dutiful  obedience  and  respect. 
Do  justice  to  yourselves,  by  doing  justice  to  your 
masters  and  mistresses,  for  a  curse  clings  to  the 
wages  of  dishonesty  and  falsehood. 

I  have  known  servants  who  would  blush  at  a 
mean  action,  who  could  not  have  been  bribed  to  de- 
ceive those  they  served,  and  who  would  not  have 


214  HO^CELY    HINTS    TO    SERVANTS. 

been  dishonest  for  all  the  wealth  of  the  Bank  of 
England. 

More  instances  than  one  have  come  to  my  know- 
ledge, of  servants,  who,  after  devoting  their  best  days 
to  the  families  to  whom  they  were  attached,  admin- 
istered to  their  wants  in  the  season  of  calamity,  and 
died,  leaving  them  every  penny  of  the  property  they 
had  saved  in  their  service.  Such  servants  are 
among  those  whom  Ephraim  Holding  delights  to 
honour. 

Often  have  I  read  the  inscription  in  a  country 
church-yard,  "  To  the  memory  of  a  faithful  ser- 
vant ;"  and,  while  reading  it,  I  have  felt  as  kindly 
toward  the  poor  perishing  dust  beneath  the  stone, 
as  though  it  had  been  that  of  a  brother  or  a  sister. 

Servants,  let  me  urge  upon  you  the  service  of 
God,  that  you  may  be  better  and  happier  servants 
in  your  places  on  earth,  living  a  life  of  faith  in  Je- 
sus Christ,  and  of  obedience  to  his  gospel ;  that 
when  the  time  shall  arrive  that  the  servant  shall  be 
equal  with  his  master,  you  may  hear  the  welcome 
words,  "  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant : 
thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will 
make  thee  ruler  over  many  things ;  enter  thou  into 
the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


ON  DISAPPOINTED  HOPES. 

From  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  we  occupy  tenfold 
more  time  in  wishing  for  what  we  have  not,  than 
in  enjoying  that  which  we  have.  Ay ;  and  where 
we  once  offer  up  praise  for  benefits  received,  we 
twenty  times  petition  the  Father  of  mercies  to 
add  to  the  number  of  the  gifts  he  has  already  be- 
stowed. 

There  is  a  restless  discontentedness  that  seems  to 
cling  to  us  like  a  leprosy.  Give  a  child  an  apple 
in  each  hand,  and  he  will  want  the  one  that  re- 
mains on  the  table  ;  and,  give  a  man  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  tens  of  thousands  will  become 
the  object  of  his  desires.  Experience  will  warrant 
the  belief,  that  the  possession  of  Europe  and  Asia 
would  excite  a  yearning  in  our  hearts  for  Africa 
and  America  ;  and  that,  if  to  these  the  moon  could 
be  added  we  should  never  rest  in  peace  until  we 
had  obtained  the  sun. 

Do  you  remember,  when  a  child,  looking  for- 
ward to  be  put  into  trousers  ?  You  do  :  so  do  I — 
so  do  we  all ;  and,  perhaps,  no  single  circumstance, 
in  our  eventful  lives,  has  ever  been  more  important 
to  us  as  men,  than  that  occurrence  appeared  to  us  in 
the  days  of  our  childhood. 

Oh,  it  was  a  glorious  moment,  a  glorious  epoch 


216  ON    DISAPPOINTED    HOPES. 

in  our  lives,  after  all  our  longings,  and  all  the 
delays  to  the  promises  we  had  received,  to  find 
ourselves  "  little  men  !" — to  see,  not  in  a  dream,  but 
in  reality,  the  shining  blue  cloth,  the  glittering  gilt 
buttons,  and  to  feel  the  silver  sixpence,  and  the  new- 
penny, in  our  very  own  pocket,  as  we  fumbled 
again  and  again  with  delight,  and  listened  to  the 
jingling  sound. 

Sceptres,  and  crowns,  and  jewels  rare, 
The  sovereigns  of  the  world  might  wear ; 
But  what  cared  we  for  such  like  things, 
When  we  were  happier  far  than  kings ! 
The  tiny  joys  that  waked  our  pride. 
Were  more  than  all  the  world  beside. 

But  there  came  a  time  when  these  things  de- 
lighted us  not  as  they  were  wont  to  do  :  we  saw 
other  objects  that  appeared  desirable,  and  to  see 
them  was  to  covet  them  :  these,  in  their  turn,  were 
attained  and  discarded.  Boys  cannot  always  be 
happy,  and  so  we  sighed  to  become  men. 

Do  you  remember,  when  at  school,  how  you 
wished  to  be  put  apprentice?  and,  when  an  ap- 
prentice, how  you  longed  to  be  out  of  your  time, 
and  become  a  master  ?  No  doubt  you  do  ;  so 
do  I ;  and  so  do  we  all ;  but  we  were  not  quite 
satisfied  when  we  had  obtained  the  object  of  our 
desires. 

As  it  was  in  our  childhood  and  youth,  so  has  il 
been  in  our  manhood  ;  object  after  object  has  been 
attained  with  no  better  success.     As  he  who  picks 


ON    DISAPPOINTED    HOPES.  217 

up  shells  on  the  sea-shore  always  has  one  more 
preferable  in  his  eye  than  in  his  hand,  so  we  ever 
hope  to  add  to  our  happiness  by  some  new  acqui- 
sition. This  is  the  case,  not  with  one,  only,  but 
with  all. 

We  have  never  yet  attained  one  earthly  advan- 
tage that  has  given  us  more  than  a  temporary  joy  ; 
we  have  never  gained  aught  that  has  satisfied  our 
desires.  Is  this  your  expereience  ?  I  know  it  is  ; 
it  is  mine ;  it  is  the  experience  of  us  all. 

We  have  all  blown  our  bubbles,  and  ran  after 
butterflies,  in  our  childhood,  our  youth,  and  our 
manhood  ;  the  bubble  has  burst,  and  the  caught 
butterfly  has  been  crushed,  not  yielding  us  half  the 
satisfaction  that  they  did  when  in  the  air. 

Who  is  there  among  us  who  can  look  back 
through  the  vista  of  threescore  years,  without 
wondering  that,  being  so  frequently  deceived,  he 
could  so  confidingly  trust  the  empty  promise  of 
future  joy  ?  It  is  in  vain  we  try  to  deceive  our- 
selves. 

Fortune  may  favour,  Fancy  may  beguile, 
Hope  wave  her  golden  wings,  and  sweetly  smile  ; 
But  sad  Experience,  with  a  brow  o'ercast, 
Sighing  with  grief,  and  pointing  to  the  past, 
Whispers,  the  fair  illusion  to  destroy, 
That  joy  unclouded  is  not  earthly  joy. 


When  we  were  young  there  was  some  excuse 
ise 
19 


for  us ;   but  what  excuse  have  we  now  ?     I  am 


218  ON    DISAPPOINTED   HOPES. 

speaking  to  such  as  have  grey  hairs  on  their  heads  , 
ay,  and  to  those  too,  who  have  no  hair  at  all. 

The  homely  adage  tells  us  that  ''  old  birds  are 
not  caught  with  chaff."  If  this  be  true,  old  birds 
are  much  wiser  than  old  men.  Shame  upon  us, 
that  it  should  be  so  !  but  we  are  continually  for^ 
getting  the  good  gifts  of  God,  and  pursuing  ob- 
jects which  are  no  better  than  chaff  when  they  are 
attained. 

Did  you  ever  reckon  up  God's  mercies?  or, 
rather,  did  you  ever  try  to  reckon  them  ?  for  they 
are  more  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  our  head. 
Let  us  run  over  a  few  of  them,  for  it  may  show, 
in  a  stronger  point  of  view,  our  thanklessn^s  and 
discontent. 

God  has  given  us  a  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  en- 
dowed with  rare  capacities  and  powers  of  enjoy- 
ment, and  placed  us  in  a  world  of  beauty,  wherein 
we  cannot  tell  whether  the  earth  beneath  our  feet, 
or  the  sky  above  our  head,  is  the  most  glorious  to 
gaze  on. 

For  us  the  flowers  of  spring  unfold  themselves, 
and  the  fruits  of  autumn  hang  in  clusters  on  the 
tree.  The  sun  gilds  our  path  by  day  ;  and,  if  we 
walk  abroad  by  night,  a  thousand  glittering  lamps 
are  hung  in  heaven.  God  has  given  us  dominion 
"  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that  moveth  upon 
the  earth." 

But  not  to  earth's  contracted  span  alone  has  he 


ON    DISAPPOINTED    HOPES.  219 

limited  his  goodDess.  He  has  given  us  his  holy 
word,  abounding  in  exceedingly  great  and  precious 
promises  for  those  who  fear  him,  love  him,  and 
obey  him,  and  delight  in  his  mercy.  We  have 
tranquil  Sabbaths,  and  a  throne  of  grace,  and  sea- 
sons of  prayer,  and  the  influences  of  his  Holy 
Spirit,  to  increase  our  consolations,  to  brighten  our 
hopes,  and  confirm  our  faith  in  the  reality  of  eternal 
things.  What  he  has  bestowed  here,  cannot  be 
fully  described,  and  "  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man 
the  things  which  God  hath  prepared,"  in  another 
world,  for  his  people  ;  they  have  "  promise  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come." 

Now,  these  are  a  part,  only,  of  the  innumerable 
gifts  of  God ;  and  yet,  in  the  midst  of  this  unbounded 
profusion,  we  dare  to  be  unthankful !  Yea,  though 
"  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life,"  we  un- 
gratefully live  in  a  spirit  of  repining,  from  year  to 
year,  and  from  day  to  day.  Shame !  shame  upon 
us  all ! 

Experience  presents  to  my  memory  too  many 
human  beings  repining  in  sickness,  who  were  never 
grateful  in  health  ;  too  many  complaining  of  God's 
judgments  in  adversity,  who  never  acknowledged 
his  mercy  in  the  day  of  their  prosperity.  Surely, 
if  we  blame  the  hand  that  smites  us  down,  we 
should  honour  the  arm  that  raises  us  up.    "  Shall 


U,20  ON    DISAPPOINTED    HOPES. 

we  receive  good  at  the  hand  of  God,  and  shall  we 
not  receive  evil  ?" 

But  the  spirit  of  unthankfulness,  that  seems  to 
mingle  with  our  very  marrow  and  our  bones,  is  as 
impolitic  as  it  is  unjust.  Should  a  beggar  starve 
with  a  wallet  full  of  provisions  at  his  back  ?  or  a 
man  die  of  thirst,  with  a  fountain  bubbling  at  his 
feet?  We  should  enjoy,  gratefuJly  enjoy,  what 
God  in  goodness  has  bestowed,  and  try  to  be  content 
with  such  things  as  we  have,  for  "  a  contented 
mind  is  a  continual  feast." 

When  we  hear  of  Napoleon  passing  his  days  as 
a  captive  on  a  rock,  because  he  was  not  content 
to  sit  as  a  conqueror  on  a  throne  ;  when  we  read 
of  Alexander  blubbering  like  a  boy  Avho  has  lost 
his  marble,  because  he  had  no  other  world  to  con- 
quer, we  indulge  in  some  sapient  reflection,  and  ex- 
claim against  the  unthankfulness  of  power,  and  the 
unreasonableness  of  ambition  ;  but,  are  we  not  act- 
ing the  same  censurable  part  continually,  in  under- 
valuing the  blessings  we  possess,  and  eagerly  pur- 
suing what  is  but  "  as  chaff  which  the  wind  driveth 
away  ?" 

Let  us  turn  our  attention  more  than  we  have 
done,  to  the  costliness  of  a  contented  spirit ;  and,  if 
we  cannot  be  satisfied  with  what  we  have,  let  us  try 
to  get  more  of  God's  grace,  and  a  brighter  hope  of 
sharing  his  glory. 

At  the  moment  that  I  note  down  these  disjointed 
observations,   a  hearse,   with   sable    plumes,   and 


ON    THE   VICISSITUDES    OF   LIFE.  221 

mourning--coaches,  with  coal-black  horses,  pacing 
slowly,  with  arched  necks,  are  passing  my  window. 
How  silently,  yet  how  eloquently,  they  set  forth 
the  worthlessness  of  wordiy  pursuits,  compared  with 
the  value  of  eternal  things  !  Let  me  close  my 
remarks  in  the  words  of  a  favourite  Collect :  would 
that  its  spirit  was  as  familiar  to  my  mind  as  the 
letters  that  compose  it  are  to  my  memory ! — "  O 
God,  who  hast  prepared  for  them  that  love  thee, 
such  good  things  as  pass  man's  understanding,  pour 
into  our  hearts  such  love  towards  thee,  that  we,  lov- 
ing thee  above  all  things,  may  obtain  thy  promises, 
which  exceed  all  that  we  can  desire,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord." 


ON  THE  VICISSITUDES  OF  LIFE. 

This  is  a  goodly  world  in  which  we  are  placed, 
and  it  is  well  to  look  at  the  bright  side  of  it ;  bram- 
bles and  thorns  there  are  in  it,  but  then  look  at  its 
roses  and  posies ! 

If  you  tell  me  that  it  is  a  waste,  howling  wilder- 
ness, I  will  tell  you  that  it  is  only  sin  that  makes  it 
so.  O  gaze  on  its  rising  and  setting  suns,  its  green 
fields,  and  glowing  skies  !  Call  to  remembrance 
its  balmy  gales,  its  singing  birds,  its  blushing  fruits, 
and  blooming  flowers  !  Have  you  friends^  valued 
1^* 


222  ON    THE    VICISSITUDES   OF    LITE. 

friends,  and  relatives  dear  to  you  as  the  apple  ol 
your  eye  1  Have  you  a  keen  conception  of  crea- 
tion's beauty,  and  a  lively  sense  of  domestic  peace  ? 
If  you  have,  you  will  want  words  wherewith  to  set 
forth  how  closely  the  world,  and  the  things  of  the 
world,  cling  to  your  heart.  Still  it  is  well  to  pre- 
pare for  a  change.  I  have  just  returned  from  a 
visit  to  an  infant's  grave.  I  went  with  the  bereaved 
mother  to  the  church-yard,  the  treasure-house  of 
her  beloved  one's  remains. 

It  was  a  retired  spot,  surrounded  with  fair  fields, 
and  goodly  oaks  and  elms — meet  place  for  reflec- 
tion, and  for  pondering  on  the  mutability  of  earthly 
things.  Fathers  feel  for  their  children,  but  they 
know  not  a  mother's  affection.  The  mother  whom 
I  attended  to  that  village  cemetery,  when  she  seated 
herself  at  the  foot  of  her  baby's  grave,  felt  as  a 
mother. 

This  little  circumstance  has  given  a  sober  turn 
to  my  thoughts.  I  have  been  thinking  of  the  frail 
tenure  on  which  we  hold  the  fairest  things  in  this 
fair  world,  and  many  a  bitter  portion  of  past  ex- 
perience rises  in  my  memory, 

"  To  grave  the  mournful  moral  on  my  heart." 

The  fond  mother  gazes  on  the  opening  bud  that 
she  has  watched  with  prayers,  and  watered  with 
her  tears.  She  enjoys  the  present,  she  anticipates 
the  future,  when  her  fair  floweret  shall  expand,  and 
put  forth  all  its  loveliness ;  but,  suddenly,  it  is 
• 


ON   THE    VICISSITUDES   OF   LIFE.  223 

touched  by  the  north  wind's  icy  fingers,  its  beauty 
fades  away,  and  it  lies  blighted  at  her  feet.  The 
lovely  one  was  held  on  the  tenure  of  a  breath ;  it 
came  up  like  a  flower,  and  was  cut  down.  On  the 
same  tenure  do  we  hold  all  that  is  earthly. 

Change  is  inscribed  on  all  things  beneath  the 
skies ;  and  this  should  be  taken  into  the  account, 
when  we  estimate  what  we  possess. 

The  suns  of  summer,  and  the  storms  of  winter, 
have  been  many,  since  four  school-boys,  ardent  in 
their  dispositions,  were  playing  together  on  a  vil- 
lage green.  They  had  wandered  the  same  fields, 
climbed  the  same  trees,  and  slaked  their  thirst  at 
the  same  rivulet,  for  years,  for  they  had  long  been 
schoolfellows.  Apart  from  their  companions,  boy- 
like, they  were  boasting  what  they  would  do  when 
they  became  men. 

One  might  have  thought,  that  where  ardour,  and 
energy,  and  youth,  and  health,  were  united,  the  fair 
future  had  something  substantial  to  rest  upon,  and 
that  the  gay  dreams  of  youth  would  be  realized  in 
after  years.  What  bright  bubbles  we  blow,  and 
how  soon  they  burst ! 

One  of  the  four  valued  himself  upon  his  strength ; 
and,  as  his  forefathers  had  died  at  a  goodly  age,  he 
expected  to  be  well  stricken  in  years  ere  he  died  ; 
but  the  fever  shook  his  well-built  frame,  and,  be- 
fore he  was  twenty  years  old,  they  carried  his 
breathless  clay  to  the  church-yard,  and  laid  it  in  the 
grave. 


224  ON    THE    VICISSITUDES    OF    LIFE. 

Another  was  in  love  with  fame,  and  panted  to 
become  a  hero  ;  he  longed  to  share  the  dangers  of 
the  battle-field,  to  mingle  with  contention,  to  drink 
in  the  sounds  of  the  trumpet  blast,  the  neighing  of 
the  war  horse,  "  the  thunder  of  the  captains,  and 
the  shouting."  He  entered  the  army,  looking  for- 
ward to  a  pair  of  epaulettes  ;  but  a  quarrel  with  a 
superior  officer  dispelled  the  illusion.  A  challenge 
was  sent,  and  of  course  accepted  :  at  the  first  fire  he 
fell,  with  a  bullet  in  his  bosom. 

A  third  j^earned  to  see  foreign  lands,  and  foreign 
lands  he  saw  ;  but  when  are  the  wandering  eye 
and  the  wandering  heart  satisfied  ?  The  icebergs 
of  the  north  were  gazed  on,  and  the  sultry  sands  of 
the  equator  were  trodden  ;  but  he  returned  not  to 
his  native  land  to  tell  of  the  wonders  he  had  witnes- 
sed, and  the  dangers  he  had  endured.  The  ship, 
whose  sails  were  filled  with  homeward  breezes, 
foundered,  and  bore  him  to  the  bottom  of  the  yawn- 
ing deep. 

And  what  shall  I  say  of  the  remaining  one, 
whose  head  and  heart  were  as  full  of  the  gay 
dreams  of  future  years  as  those  of  his  hapless  com- 
panions ?  He  has  lived  till  the  grey  hair  of  age 
has  proclaimed  his  time  to  be  short ;  and  though  he 
can  still  "  sing  of  mercy,"  he  feels,  while  his  pen  is 
employed  in  noting  down  these  mournful  passages 
of  his  past  experience,  that  his  future  earthly  ex- 
pectations hang  upon  a  thread. 

How  industriously  we  build  on  the  shifting  sand ! 


ON    THE    VICISSITUDES    OF    LIFE.  225 

How  eagerly  we  blow  the  bursting  bubble !  How 
ardently  we  pursue  the  shadow  that  eludes  our 
grasp !  Though  we  know  that  our  lives  are  a  va- 
pour that  passeth  away,  and  that  in  a  moment  we 
may  be  called  hence,  we  are  all  saying,  after  our 
own  fashion,  "  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up 
for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry."  "  This  night  thy  soul  may  be  required  of 
thee,"  is  a  supposition  that  we  cannot  realize :  we 
stand  on  the  tottering  avalanche,  with  as  much  con- 
fidence as  though  our  feet  were  based  upon  the  py- 
ramids. 

It  is  not  to  dispel  hope,  but  to  chasten  presump- 
tion, that  I  thus  speak.  We  ought  highly  to  value 
our  temporal  mercies,  but  we  ought  not  to  estimate 
them  as  though  they  were  eternal.  Change  is 
deeply  inscribed  upon  them,  in  broad,  legible  char- 
acters ;  and  to  refuse  to  read  the  inscription,  is  to 
lose  the  benefit  of  a  lesson  that  should  ever  be  pre- 
sent to  our  remembrance. 

I  might  point  to  the  page  of  history,  and  adorn 
my  subject  with  sketches  of  departed  greatness. 
Where  is  Nineveh,  "  that  great  city,"  and  the 
mighty  host  of  Sennacherib  ?  Where  is  Belshaz- 
zar,  and  brazen-gated  Babylon  ?  Thebes  is  in  de- 
solation ;  and,  of  Jerusalem,  scarcely  one  stone 
rests  on  another.  A  change  has  passed  over 
them  ;  and  the  splendour  and  power  of  Greece  and 
of  Rome  have  passed  away.  But  why  should  I 
meddle  with  things  too  high  for  me  ?     Better  will 


226  ON   THE    VICISSITUDES    OF   LIFE. 

it  be  to  leave  the  unwieldy  affairs  of  empires,  and 
take  my  illustrations  from  common  life :  our  own 
experience  comes  closer  home  to  our  hearts. 

The  changes  which  take  place  around  us,  as  we 
pursue  our  earthly  pilgrimage,  are  frequently  of  a 
mournful  kind  ;  and  this  is  still  more  the  case  when 
the  furrows  of  age  are  graven  on  our  brows.  The 
house,  the  village,  or  the  town,  where  we  were 
born,  becomes  altered  and  strange  to  us  ;  the  trees, 
whose  grateful  shade  we  courted,  are  cut  down  ; 
the  friends  we  loved,  one  by  one  pass  away  ;  and 
infirmjjties,  of  various  kinds,  become  our  compan- 
ions :  we  tread  softly,  where  we  have  been  wont  to 
press  on  in  the  turbulence  of  health ;  and  we  not  only 
find,  but  feel  the  emptiness  of  all  things  here  below. 
Mankind  becomes  a  new  race  of  beings,  in  which 
the  friends  of  our  youth  are  few,  or  far  removed. 

"  Change  is  the  diet  on  which  all  subsist, 
Created  changeable ;  and  change  at  last 
Destroys  them." 

Some  time  ago  I  went  to  the  favourite  haunt  of 
my  bygone  days,  where  once  stood  the  ash  on  the 
green,  the  cottage  at  the  corner  of  the  paddock,  and 
the  coppice  on  the  slope  of  the  hill :  the  tree  was 
hewn  down,  the  cottage  removed,  and  the  coppice 
ground  was  changed  into  a  ploughed  field.  Mosi 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  dead  ;  and 
such  as  were  alive  were  aged  and  infirm.  Mos% 
likely  you  have  met  with  changes  such  as  these. 

But  w^hat  are  these  things  in  comparison  with 


ON  THE  NEW-MADE  GRAVE.        227 

Others,  for  which  we  ought  to  be  prepared  ?  Riches 
sometimes  make  themselves  wings,  and  fly  away  ; 
friends  closely  attached  to  us  become  estranged ; 
and,  not  unfrequently,  we  are  bereaved  of  those 
whose  presence  is  as  a  sunbeam  in  our  paths.  In 
mind,  body,  and  estate,  a  change  may  take  place  to 
our  disadvantage. 

Seeing  that  these  things  are  so,  let  us  flee  to  the 
Rock  for  refuge  ;  let  us  fix  our  hearts  and  our 
hopes  on  Him  who  changeth  not,  but  is  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever  ;  that  when  the  trum- 
pet shall  sound,  and  we  shall  stand  before  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  Christ,  we  may  be  changed  into  His 
glorious  image,  who  offered  up  himself  a  ransom 
on  the  cross  for  sinners,  that  all  who  believe  on 
him  might  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 
Let  us  keep  the  golden  gates  and  the  unchangeable 
glories  of  heaven  full  in  view,  and  the  changes  of 
earth  will  be  patiently,  yea,  joyfully  endured. 


ON  THE  NEW-Mj\DE  GRAVE. 

We  are  more  apt,  in  our  onward  course,  to  be 
caught  by  that  which  affects  our  senses,  than  by 
what  appeals  to  our  reflection.  The  roar  of  cannon, 
and  the  rattling  thunder,  arrest  and  secure  our 
attention,  while  the  silently-falling  dew  is  disre- 


228         ON  THE  NEW-MADE  GRAVE. 

garded,  though  the  latter  is  of  immeasurably  more 
importance  to  us  than  the  former.  It  is  the  same 
among  mankind  ;  the  loudest  and  most  vehement 
speaker,  ever  receives,  from  the  multitude,  the 
greatest  degree  of  attention.  The  more  we  reflect, 
the  more  likely  we  are  to  correct  this  error. 

To  reflecting  minds,  things  the  most  silent  are 
frequently  the  most  eloquent.  To  them,  the  voice- 
less creation  cries,  as  it  were,  aloud.  The  declin- 
ing day,  the  setting  sun,  the  fadecj  leaf,  the  season's 
change,  and  the  new-made  grave,  all  proclaim  the 
mutability  of  earthly  things.  I  want  to  press  this 
matter  affectionately  on  your  remembrance.  I  want 
you  to  hear  a  voice  in  solitude,  in  darkness,  and  in 
silence. 

"  Hark !  hark  !  a  cry  is  gone  abroad  from  every  peopled  plain, 
It  sweeps  along  the  sounding  shore,  it  murmurs  from  the 

main ; 
From  every  varied  spot  of  earth,  where  human  creatures  be, 
It  echoes  loudly  through  the  land,  and  spreads  from  sea  to 

sea. 
From  palace  wall  and  humble  cot — from  town  and  village 

lone; 
From  every  newly-open'd  grave,  and  every  churchyard  stone ; 
In  every  language  under  heaven,  a  voice  repeats  the  cry — 
*  Thy  days  are  number'd,  mortal  man  j  and  thou  art  born  to 

die!"' 

Whate'er  thy  state  may  be,  whate'er  the  paths  thy  feet  have 

trod. 
Forsake  thy  sins,  and  lowly  kneel,  and  seek  the  Lord  thy 

God. 


ON    THE   NEW-MADE    GRAVE.  229 

Prepare  thee  for  the  bed   of  death,  though  now  thy  bosom 

burn, 
For  dust  thou  art,  and  suddenly  to  dust  thou  shalt  return. 
What  though  ten  thousand  flattering  tongues  conspire  to 

praise  thee  now, 
Though  gUttering  stars  adorn  thy  breast,  and  diadems  thy 

brow; 
'Mid  all  thy  dreams  of  earthly  bliss,  thou  soon  shalt  hear  the 

cry, 
'  Thy  days  are  number'd,  mortal  man,  and  thou  art  doom'd 

to  die !' " 

1  hold  it  to  be  a  good  sign  in  age  and  youth,  to 
be  given  to  quiet  musings.  "  Commune  with  your 
own  heart  upon  your  bed  and  be  still,"  says  David, 
in  the  4th  Psalm.  There  is  in  this  stillness,  this 
holding  communion  with  ourselves,  much  that  is 
favourable  to  wisdom,  virtue,  piety,  and  peace. 

Experience  tells  us,  that  whether  we  are  musers 
or  not,  there  is  evil  enough  in  every  heart ;  but  I 
do  not  think  that  the  vicious  and  abandoned  part  of 
mankind  are  given  to  muse  much  on  anything  that 
will  not  increase  their  pleasures,  nor  add  to  their 
worldly  possessions.  Never  do  I  see  any  one 
thoughtfully  wandering  from  one  grave-stone  to 
another,  in  a  churchyard,  without  judging  favour- 
ably of  their  affections,  and  their  dispositions  to  be 
helped  on  their  way  to  heaven. 

If  I  could,  I  would  send  you  all  mto  the  church- 
yard more  frequently  than  you  now  go  there  ;  ay, 
and  I  would  go  there  myself  more  frequently,  too  ; 
for  no  one  stands  more  in  need  than  I  do,  of  being 
20 


230  ON   THE   NEW-MADE    GRAVE, 

reminded,  that  the  heart  of  a  Christian  man  should 
be  set  on  better  things  than  are  to  be  found  on  this 
side  eternity. 

"  Lef  others  fondly  seek  the  vain  reward, 

The  fleeting  phantom  of  this  world's  regard : 

Be  theirs  at  every  hazard  to  be  great, 

To  live  in  splendour,  and  to  sit  in  state ; 

But,  Christian,  thou  with  nobler  views  must  rise — 

This  world  thy  prison-house,  thine  home  the  skies. 

Leave,  then,  the  proud  to  grasp  the  rod  of  power, 

The  glittering  baubles  of  an  earthly  hour. 

To  bid  the  prostrate  throng  in  homage  bow, 

And  place  a  diadem  upon  their  brow  ; 

Thy  crown  with  brighter  gems  than  theirs  shall  shine : 

Earth  is  their  kingdom,  heaven  above  is  thine !" 

Let  me  give  you  a  few  of  the  warning  admoni- 
tions of  Scripture,  that  are  to  be  found  scattered, 
here  and  there,  in  our  churchyards. 

"  Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return." 
Gen.  iii.  19.  "  Our  days  on  the  earth  are  a  sha- 
dow, and  there  is  none  abiding."  1  Chron.  xxix. 
15.  "  Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow :  for  thou 
knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth."  Prov. 
xxvii.  1.  "  Watch,  therefore,  for  ye  know  not 
what  hour  your  Lord  may  come."  Matt.  xxvi.  42. 
"  As  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  there 
is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death."  1  Sam.  xx.  3. 
"  Repent :  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand." 
Matt.  iv.  17.  "  Set  thy  house  in  order ;  for  thou 
shalt  die  and  not  live."  2  Kings,  xx.  1.  "  For 
we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of 


ON  THE  NEW-MADE  GRAVE.         231 

Christ ;  that  every  one  may  receive  the  things  done 
in  his  body,  according  to  that  he  hath  done,  whe- 
ther it  be  good  or  bad."     2  Cor.  v.  10. 

But  there  are  consolations,  and  encouragements, 
as  well  as  warning  admonitions,  on  the  grave- 
stones of  the  departed,  and  they  often  strike  us  there, 
more  forcibly  than  when  we  read  them  in  holy 
writ ;  such,  for  example,  as  the  following : — 

"  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright : 
for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace."  Psalm  xxxvii. 
37.  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life."  Rev.  ii.  10.  "  Many  are 
the  afflictions  of  the  righteous :  but  the  Lord  deliv- 
ereth  him  out  of  them  all."     Psalm  xxxiv.  19. 

"  God  will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power 
of  the  grave ;  for  he  shall  receive  me."  Psalm 
xlix.  15. 

"  We,  according  to  his  promise,  look  for  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  right- 
eousness." 2  Pet.  iii.  13. 

"  They  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in  joy." 
Psalm  cxxvi.  5. 

"  We  know,  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of 
God,  an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens."     2  Cor.  v.  1. 

"  For  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  mo- 
ment, worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory."     2  Cor.  iv.  17. 

"  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 


232  ON    THE    NEW-MADE    GRAVE, 

begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  helieveth  in  him, 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  John 
iii.  16. 

"  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he 
shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth  :  and 
though,  after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet 
in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God."     Job  xix.  25,  26. 

"  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him." 
1  Cor.  ii.  9. 

Now,  such  passages  of  God's  word  as  these,  are, 
to  many,  meat  and  diink — health  to  their  navel, 
and  marrow  to  their  bones.  I  may  be  told  that 
numbers,  who  occasionally  wander  among  the 
tombs,  go  there  rather  for  amusement  than  for  pro- 
fit ;  but  I  would  not  on  this  account  think  lightly 
of  their  visits.  The  scene  around  them  in  the 
grave-yard,  is  favourable  to  reflection,  and  the  in- 
scriptions that  meet  their  eyes  are  often  of  an  ar- 
resting kind.  In  whatever  part  of  the  cemetery 
they  may  be, 

"  Some  frail  memorial  still  erected  nigh, 
With  uncouth  rhymes  and  shapeless  sulpture  deck'J 
Implores  the  passing  tribute  of  a  sigh." 

And,  if  they  are  led  within  the  venerated  pile,  to 
gaze  on  the  more  costly  memorials  of  the  dead — 
t  lie  marble  monuments  of  the  great — they  are  again 
reminded  that 


ON   THE   NEW-MADE    GRAVT.  233 

"  The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 
And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave, 

Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour ; 

The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

It  has  often  struck  me  that  profitable  volumes 
might  be  gleaned  from  inscriptions  in  churchyards  ; 
not  like  the  works  of  light-hearted  travellers,  who 
have,  too  often,  collected  together  from  consecrated 
ground,  all  they  could  find  that  was  humorous  or 
ridiculous,  wherewith  to  amuse  their  readers,  but  a 
collection  of  sober,  pious,  and  striking  inscriptions. 
Let  me  explain  what  I  mean,  by  a  few  examples. 

"  Art  thou  prepared,  reader  !  with  the  grave  be- 
fore thee,  to  be  judged  with  the  same  judgment  with 
w^hich  thou  hast  judged  others  ?" 

"  Live  near  to  God  in  this  world,  if  thou  wouldst 
dwell  with  him  in  that  which  is  to  come." 

"  The  grave  can  neither  withhold  the  righteous 
from  happiness,  nor  protect  the  wicked  from  unut- 
terable wo." 

"  Though  the  wicked  may  laugh  in  his  life,  the 
good  man  alone  can  smile  in  his  death." 

"  The  brightest  earthly  hope  is  but  a  brilliant 
bubble  bursting  against  a  tombstone." 

"  Reader  !  if  thou  thinkest  lightly  of  the  happi- 
ness and  misery  of  another  world,  remember  that 
millions  of  ages  crowding  on  millions  of  ages — 
millions  of  ages  crowding  on  millions  of  ages — 
and,  again,  millions  of  ages  crowding  on  millions 
of  ages,  are  but  the  beginning  of  eternity." 
i  20* 


234  ON    THE   NEW-MADE    GRAVE. 

"  How  poor  are  the  gilded  escutcheons,  and  the 
perishing  records  of  the  mouldering  marble,  when 
compared  with  the  well-grounded  hope  that  the 
spirit  of  the  departed  is  with  God !" 

"  The  stone  that  flatters  the  dead,  deceives  the 
living." 

"  If  death  be  hard  to  bear,  as  the  end  of  temporal 
pain,  how  may  it  be  endured  as  the  beginning  of 
eternal  wo !" 

''  Does  the  grave  affright  thee  ?  learn  to  look 
beyond  it." 

.  How  vain  are  all  worldly  pursuits,  when  placed  in 
competition  with  the  salvation  of  the  soul !" 

"  Go  forward,  Christian,  on  thy  heavenly  pil- 
grimage !  Though  a  crown  and  a  cross  should  be 
placed  before  thee,  let  not  the  one  tempt,  nor  the 
other  deter  thee  from  thy  path.  Tremble  not  at 
death — it  shall  end  thy  sorrows ;  fear  not  the 
grave — it  is  the  portal  of  immortality :  thy  home, 
thy  heaven  is  before  thee,  where  He  who  redeemed 
thy  life  from  destruction  shall  crown  thee  with  lov- 
ing-kindness and  tender  mercies." 

"  Reader,  improve  thy  fleeting  hours,  remember- 
ing that  the  most  precious  portion  of  thy  time  is 
that  which  is  nearest  to  eternity." 

"  Happy  is  the  pilgrim  who,  amid  the  thorns 
and  briers  that  obstruct  his  pathway  to  a  better 
world,  can  discover  none  of  his  own  planting." 

Even  accidental  visiters  of  a  churchyard  are  not 
unlikely  to  be  profited  by  such  inscriptions  as  these  : 


ON    THE    NEW-MADE    GRAVE.  235 

while,  still  more  accessible  are  the  hearts  of  those 
who  go  to  visit  the  resting-  places  of  the  dust  that  is 
Jear  to  them. 

Many  scenes  have  I  witnessed  among  the  green 
hillocks  of  a  churchyard,  that  have  tried  the  very 
heart-strings  ;  one  of  these  I  shall  give  you,  though 
Jt  is  possible  I  may  have  alluded  to  it  before. 

Walking  thoughtfully  from  tomb  to  tomb,  I  came 
It  last  to  the  retired  part  of  a  burial  ground,  where 
I  observed  an  aged  woman — who  must  have  passed 
through  at  least  three  score  years  and  ten  of  her 
pilgrimage — standing  in  a  mournful  posture  at  a 
new-turfed  grave.  There  was  no  marble  to  mark 
the  spot ;  not  even  a  grave-stone  to  tell  her  "  where 
they  had  laid  him  ;"  but  that  did  not  signify.  She 
measured  the  hillock  with  her  eye,  and  slowly 
paced  around  it,  stooping  down  now  and  then,  and 
patting  the  green  sods  with  her  fingers.  After 
this,  leaning  both  hands  on  her  stick,  and  fixing 
her  aged  eyes  on  the  grave,  she  burst  into  tears. 

It  went  to  my  very  soul.  I  indeed  felt  for  the 
)ld  lady,  and  sighed  for  very  sympathy.  My  heart 
yearned  to  join  her,  but  I  could  not  trespass  on  her 
reflections.  Again  she  walked  round  the  grave, 
and  again  a  flood  of  tears  came  to  her  relief  Al- 
most as  much  overcome  as  she  was,  I  walked  away, 
leaving  her  still  looking  wishfully  at  the  grave. 

Once  more  I  say,  go  to  the  churchyard — 

'*  Look  round  upon  the  scene  of  death, 
And  take  a  word  of  warning ; 


236  ON    THE    NEW-MADE    GRAVE. 

Improve  the  light,  nor  leave  till  night 
The  business  of  the  morning. 

"  The  fool,  through  every  passing  hour, 
Beset  with  sin  and  sorrow, 

Puts  far  away  his  dying  day. 
Though  that  may  be  to-morrow. 

"  The  wise  man  does  not  waste  his  time, 
Lest  life  and  health  forsake  him  ; 

Where'er  he  goes,  full  well  he  knows 
That  death  will  soon  o'ertake  him. 

"  0  wouldst  thou  from  the  graves  around 

A  useful  lesson  borrow, 
Go  on  thy  way,  improve  to-day, 

And  bless'd  shall  be  to-morrow." 


ON  PREPARATION  FOR  WINTER. 

I  HAVE  already  spoken  to  you  about  the  rapid 
flight  of  time,  and  I  now  ask  you,  Are  you  prepared 
for  bleak-blowing,  finger-pinching  frame-searching 
December  ?  I  said  truly,  "  We  can  neither  beg- 
borrow,  nor  steal  an  instant  of  time ;  therefore, 
make  ducks  and  drakes  of  your  silver  and  gold, 
and  cast  your  jewels  and  your  pearls,  if  you  have 
them,  to  the  very  swine  to  trample  on,  rather  than 


ON   PREPARATION    FOP^    WINTER.  237 

p-irt  with,  or  misuse,  a  moment  of  that  time  which 
is  more  costly  than  the  ransom  of  a  king." 

We  are  much  more  disposed  to  receive  most 
things  than  to  give  them  away  ;  but  this  is  not  the 
case  with  regard  to  advice.  Were  I  required  rigidly 
to  account  for  the  moments  of  the  bygone  twelve 
months,  it  would  be  seen  but  too  plainly  that  I  my- 
self required,  this  year,  the  sapient  admonitions 
which,  last  year,  I  offered  to  others.  Are  you  pre- 
pared for  winter  ? 

You  remember  the  grasshopper  in  the  fable : 
gay  and  light-hearted,  he  danced  through  the  sum- 
mer season  without  even  so  much  as  thinking  of 
winter  ;  but,  though  he  never  thought  of  it,  winter 
came  ;  and  not  having  made  preparation  for  it,  he 
was  driven  to  his  wit's  end. 

Half-starved  with  cold  and  hunger,  he  found  his 
way  to  an  ant's  nest,  where  corn  had  been  stored 
up  in  abundance.  The  ants  had  not  only  thought 
of  winter,  but  also  prepared  for  its  approach :  not  a 
grain,  however,  of  their  store  did  they  offer  to  the 
pinched  and  perishing  grasshopper.  "  Tell  me," 
said  one  of  the  industrious  tribe,  how  you  have 
spent  your  time,  that  you  have  no  provision  now :" 
and  when  he  heard  of  the  free-hearted  revelry  and 
junketting  of  the  poor,  thoughtless  grasshopper,  his 
only  remark  was,  •'  They  who  dance  away  sum- 
mer, must  be  content  to  starve  away  winter." 

Now,  though  I  have  referred  to  a  fable,  there 
was  not  the  least  necessity  for  it ;  for  there  are  so 


238  ON   PREPARATION    FOR   WINTER. 

many  half-starved,  homeless,  and  friendless  grass- 
hoppers among  mankind,  who  have  made  no  pro- 
vision for  winter,  that  I  might  just  as  well  have  re- 
ferred to  them  as  to  the  other. 

Again  I  say,  Are  you  prepared  for  winter  ?  I 
hardly  need  tell  you  that  there  is  a  winter  of  life, 
as  well  as  a  winter  of  the  seasons  ;  and,  if  it  be  at 
all  expedient  to  provide  for  the  one,  it  is  a  thousand 
times  more  necessary  to  prepare  for  the  other. 

In  the  common-place  occurrences  of  life,  the 
want  of  preparation  is  a  source  of  continual  annoy- 
ance ;  and,  no  doubt,  your  experience  confirms  the 
remark. 

I  dare  say  in  the  course  of  your  lives,  you  have 
been  overtaken  by  a  storm  when  unprepared  to 
meet  it.  Oh,  the  comfort  of  a  stout,  thich-soled  pair 
of  boots,  a  substantial  great-coat,  and  a  strong  um- 
brella when  you  are  plodding  through  a  puddle, 
and  the  rain  is  descending  in  torrents  around  you ! 

Stepping  on  the  toe  of  a  thin-soled  shoe,  buttoning 
a  flimsy  coat  up  to  the  chin,  and  tying  a  handker- 
chief over  your  hat,  are  but  sorry  expedients  in  a 
drenching  storm.  How  shall  I  pursuade  you  to 
prepare  for  the  storm  of  storms — the  winter  of 
winters — the  latter  end  of  time,  and  the  beginning 
of  eternity ! 

In  my  youthful  days,  I  was  once  so  elated  with 
the  prospect  of  riding  on  horseback  to  a  town  about 
a  dozen  miles  distant,  that  I  made  no  preparation 
for  the  turnpike  gate  ;  the  want  of  a  penny  brought 


ON    PREPARATION    FOR    WINTER.  239 

upon  me  a  pound's  worth  of  anguish  ;  bitterly  did 
I  rue  my  thoughtless  improvidence.  This,  how- 
ever, was  but  a  temporary  inconvenience  :  but,  how 
will  it  be  Vv^ith  us  if,  unprovided  and  unprepared, 
we  think  to  enter  the  "  strait  gate  which  leadeth 
anto  life  ?" 

On  another  occasion,  at  eventide,  I  thoughtlessly 
mounted  a  stage-coach  to  ride  a  hundred  mile^ 
without  making  preparation  for  the  pinching  frost, 
and  piercing  midnight  winds  that  awaited  me.  I 
was  warm  when  I  commenced  my  journey,  but 
cold  enough  before  it  was  concluded.  It  was  a 
cruel  night :  the  guard  of  another  stage,  with  all 
his  thick  coats  and  heavy  capes,  was  found  frozen 
to  death  on  his  seat,  when  the  coach  stopped  to 
change  horses  ;  and,  when  I  descended  to  the  frosty 
ground,  my  legs  were  stiffened,  and  almost  past  sen- 
sation, to  my  knees.  I  was  not  prepared  for  what 
I  had  to  endure.  There  may  be  a  bleaker  journey 
in  store  for  me :  at  all  events,  it  behoves  me  to  pre- 
pare. 

I  once  heard  a  devout  and  highly-esteemed  min- 
ister of  the  gospel,  preach  a  sermon,  and  an  excel- 
lent sermon  too,  from  the  words,  "  Deliver  them 
who,  through  fear  of  death,  were  all  their  life-time 
subject  to  bondage."  Some  time  after,  an  accident 
occurred  in  which  his  life  was  placed  in  the  most 
imminent  peril ;  and  then  I  heard  him  declare  from 
the  same  pulpit  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  and 
with  apparent  heartfelt  humility,  that  in  that  awful 


240  ON    PREPARATION   FOR    WINTER. 

moment  he  found  that  he  "  was  not  ready."  For 
thirty  years  and  more,  he  had  been  warning  others 
for  death,  and  preparing  them  for  its  approach,  but, 
for  all  that,  he  "  was  not  ready."  I  rever- 
enced him  the  more  for  the  humility  of  mind 
and  integrity  of  spirit  with  which  he  made  the 
avowal.  Since  then  he  has  been  called  to  his  heav- 
enly inheritance.  I  hope  he  was  found  ready,  and 
that  the  lamp  of  God's  sustaining  promises  burnt 
brightly  in  the  dark  valley  through  which  he 
passed  to  the  golden  gates  of  the  heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem. But  how  is  it  with  you  and  me  ?  Let  us 
ponder  the  question  in  our  hearts. 

Careless  as  we  may  be  in  seasons  of  health, 
when  it  pleases  God,  in  his  providence,  to  take  us, 
and  shake  us  by  sickness  and  affliction,  we  are  as 
the  deaf  whose  ears  are  unstopped,  and  as  the  blind 
whose  eyes  are  suddenly  opened.  We  hear  sounds 
and  we  see  signs  that  we  have  hitherto  disregarded. 
The  fading  leaf  and  the  withered  flower,  the  fur- 
rowed brow  and  the  grey  hair  tell  us  the  same  tale, 
and  bid  us  prepare  for  our  latter  end.  Then,  every 
returning  season,  every  opened  grave,  every  Sab- 
bath bell,  and  every  setting  Sun,  cries  aloud  to  us, 
with  a  mighty  voice,  like  the  angel  which  stood 
upon  "  the  sea  and  upon  the  earth,  lifting  up  his 
hand  to  heaven,  and  swearing  by  Him  that  liveth 
for  ever  and  ever,  who  created  heaven  and  the  things 
that  therein  are,  and  the  sea  and  the  things  Avhich 
are  therein,  that  there  should  be  time  no  longer." 


ON    PREPARATION    FOR    WINTER.  241 

Could  all  the  lessons  of  wisdom,  and  all  the  ad- 
monitions of  time,  be  embodied  in  one  sentence,  it 
would  be,  "  Prepare  for  eternity  !" 

Many  are  there,  who,  at  the  approach  of  winter 
make  preparations  for  banqueting  and  revelry,  who 
are  perfectly  regardless  of  the  uncertainty  of  life, 
and  the  certainty  of  dissolution.  Where  our  next 
Christmas  day  may  yet  be  spent  we  cannot  tell ;  it 
may  be  at  the  festive  board,  or  it  may  be  above  the 
stars.  Few  indeed  are  there  in  this  world  who 
keep  their  accounts  so  well  balanced  as  to  be  ready 
to  leave  at  a  moment's  warning. 

You  and  I  should  indulge  in  such  considerations 
as  these  ;  for  it  may  be  that  our  earthly  pilgrimage 
may  be  drawing  to  a  close — that  the  sands  in  our 
glasses  may  be  few.  Surely  we  have  arrange- 
ments to  make,  debts  to  pay,  injuries  to  forgive, 
friendships  to  acknowledge,  and  affections  to  mani- 
fest :  and  then,  too,  to  make  an  entire  surrender  of 
ourselves,  and  all  we  possess,  to  the  Father  of  mer- 
cies, beseeching  him  that,  for  Christ's  sake,  our 
sins  may  be  blotted  out,  and  that  the  fear  of  tem- 
poral death  may  be  swallowed  up  in  the  confidence 
of  eternal  life.  For  the  last  time,  again  I  say, 
Prepare ! 

THE   END. 


DATE  DUE 

i^^mi 

■ 

GAYLORD 

PRINTEDINU.S.A 

on  Theological  Seminary-Spee 


1012  01040  4483 


